Sports programs and entertainment

Sports programs and entertainment

A week ago, four Indonesian shuttlers made history in the Athens Olympics by winning medals, but only a few Indonesians watched them struggling for glory.

Only on Wednesday were the majority of Indonesians able watch gold medalist Taufik Hidayat playing - although just the recorded highlights - on Trans-TV in Lepas Malam program hosted by Farhan.

If the print media had not highlighted Taufik's success, only a few percent of Indonesians would have been aware that Indonesia is still a member of the "Olympic Family".

All the regular (non-cable) television stations were busy with their own reality shows, music shows and soap operas. The only sports program aired was the English Soccer League last Saturday night (Aug. 21 when Taufik won his gold medal).

Kabel Vision is the only company that has the Olympics live, including badminton, but only a relatively small group of its subscribers can enjoy it.

It therefore raises the question as to why our own athletes' gutsy efforts were less interesting than the entertainment shows? We don't mean to look down on entertainers or artists, who mostly have gained popularity in a much easier way. In general, athletes have to work very hard for a very long time to achieve and gain popularity.

No one person can be blamed, because our society also has to take responsibility for this situation. Our people love to get instant results without adequate preparation and the hard work necessary to achieve a particular goal. And the television stations have apparently sold out to the consumerism in our society. -- Kompas, Jakarta