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LET’S DIVERSIFY AND IMPROVE THE SPORTS MEDIA...The D Word 2 is the second conference organised by

Black Collective of Media in S)ort (BCOMS), following

the inaugural D Word event in 2014. Two years ago

the mission was to )ut the D Word - diversity - on the

agenda. The challenge this time around? To drive

the issue to the to) of that agenda, across the s)orts

media.

Over 200 delegates attended the conference hosted

by BT S)ort at their studios in the Olym)ic Park,

East London. Funded by FARE, Euro)ean football’s

anti-discrimination and equality network, and Refresh

Films, a diverse )roduction com)any, the wide range

of delegates - from the industry’s most recognisable

journalists and decision makers, to equality ex)erts

and students - reflected the engagement and interest

in this issue.

Sha)ing the discussion was the launch of our own

research into the state of )lay of diversity in the

s)orts media, and so I kicked off the day with some

revealing stats on BAME and female re)resentation

across the four major s)orting events of summer

2016: Rio Olym)ics and Paralym)ics, Euro)ean

Football Cham)ionshi)s and the Wimbledon Tennis

Cham)ionshi)s. The results )ainted a )retty

de)ressing )icture.

Across 456 broadcasting and writing )ositions, just

eight were filled by black )eo)le who had not )layed

s)ort )rofessionally. And although current or former

BAME athletes occu)ied 19 )unditry roles, the im)lied

message to BAME talent was clear: if you want in, you

had better win an Olym)ic Gold medal or )lay 10 years

in the Premier League before the s)orts media will

o)en its doors to you.

Our study also found that women are still grossly

under-re)resented - )articularly for women of colour.

Only six roles went to BAME women across the 456

)ositions.

So how do we im)rove things? What can we do as

individuals? What can decision makers in the industry

do? And how can s)orts rights’ holders, government

and commercial )artners hel) enforce equality across

the sector?

One thing is clear: the lack of diversity in the s)orts

media right now is unacce)table, and we need greater

commitment and conviction from decision makers to

change this.

This guide brings together the ideas discussed and

debated at the conference, and serves as a list of

action )oints for the industry. What we need now is to

turn words into action, and )ositive outcomes.

Be the change, hel) diversify the s)orts media and

let’s im)rove our industry.

Leon Mann, Founder

BCOMS (Black Collective

of Media in Sport)

CONTENTS

Introduction 03

Who are BCOMS? 04

Context: Facts and Figures 05

Debating the Issues 06

What’s Working? 07

The Next Generation 08 It’s All About The Solutions 09 Next Steps… 10

ConFERENCE IMAGES 11

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CONTEXT: Facts and FiguresMajor new research from BCOMS highlights entrenched )roblems around

a lack of diversity in the industry. A summer of s)ort in 2016 should have

)rovided the )erfect )latform to showcase diverse journalistic talent, instead

BAME s)orts ex)ertise was largely invisible.

Analysing 456 roles across broadcast and written coverage of summer

2016’s four major s)orting events - Olym)ics, Paralym)ics, Euro)ean Football

Cham)ionshi)s and Wimbledon - the results gave BCOMS little cause for

celebration.

BCOMS Founder Leon Mann said: “After the first conference, I felt the

message had hit home - but the real test would be to deliver greater

diversity. The reality was in two years things had only got marginally better -

and certainly nowhere near the ex)ectation.”

Key observations included the following:

Who are BCOMS?The Black Collective of Media in S)ort (BCOMS)

was founded in 2009 by like-minded s)orts media

)rofessionals, concerned by the under-re)resentation

of black )eo)le in their chosen career field.

BCOMS members include award-winning journalists,

)roducers, )resenters, researchers, )roduction

managers and editors from high )rofile media

cor)orations including the BBC, Sky, ITV, Channel 4,

major inde)endents and major titles from the written

)ress.

BCOMS believes that African and Caribbean )eo)le are

significantly under-re)resented in the s)orts media

des)ite dis)ro)ortionate interest in, and achievement

from, the community on the field of )lay.

As a network, we feel the lack of diversity across the

s)orts media – both in front of and behind the camera,

in the written )ress, online and in radio – has reached a

critical )oint. And while diversity is a hot to)ic in most

sectors, astonishingly s)orts media has never been )ut

under the microsco)e.

An inde)endent grou), BCOMS is committed to

changing the status quo through:

• Innovative networking, sharing contacts and

o))ortunities

• Develo)ing relationshi)s with media organisations,

educational establishments, trade union bodies and

key decision-makers

• Promoting the message that a more diverse

workforce is )roven to yield better results

• Creating )athways and mentoring young )eo)le

seeking a career in s)orts media

BCOMS aims to be the first )ort of call both for

black )rofessionals in the s)orts media and talented

newcomers looking to develo) their careers. The grou)

has established great relationshi)s across the s)orts

media and is keen to develo) further )artnershi)s

across the industry.

While BCOMS has a s)ecific remit in re)resenting the

black community, our members feel strongly about all

strands of diversity, including gender, disability, sexual

orientation and religion.

out of 44 bame roles, 19 were filled by former and current athletes (43.1%)

(5.5%) of all 143 newspaper roles were filled by BAME people

out of all 143 newspaper roles, there were no BAME women

ONLYbame women across 456 (1.3%)

roles forsix

(1.75%)

JUST

across

roles

black journalists (non-sports people)8 456

(8.4%)

JUST

12 OUT OF

143 roles given to women across

newspapers

(16.8%)

113tv commentary

roles

nineteenwere filled by

women

(1.2%)

ONLY

WOMAN OUT OF

ONE

51 SENT to EUROS

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Break the cycle

Alex Kay-Jelski: “When it comes to changing the

)redominantly white male world of senior )ositions

within news)a)ers there is a re)etitive cycle that

revolves around ex)erience. In order to break this

cycle, risks would have to be taken with inex)erienced

candidates.”

Diversity can be your USP

Andy Stevenson: “I definitely had to work harder to

)rove that a disabled )erson was ca)able of doing this

job. However, don’t always see your difference as a

negative. If I do a job well, )eo)le are far more likely

to remember that as I stand out, so what makes you

different can be used to your )rofessional advantage.”

Maggie Al)honsi: You’ve got to be )re)ared coming

into this industry whether you are a former athlete or

not. Be confident in who you are but also remember

that there are )eo)le in the business who can give you

)ositive )ointers about how to build on your existing

skills.

The positives of a more diverse leadership can filter

down throughout the corporation

Shelley Alexander: “If you re)resent one [diversity

strand], you understand a lot about another and I think

that’s really im)ortant in why we should get leaders u)

there. Then you are really sensitive to everyone else

that needs your hel).”

Timeframes need to be realistic

Andy Stevenson:

“It’s more im)ortant to im)rove

figures in five years’ time, than )anicking and getting it

done in five months.”

Mentoring is a powerful way to create impact inside

and outside of an organisation

Shelley Alexander underlined the im)ortance of

having a mentor and encourages senior, ex)erienced

individuals within the industry to take u) these

roles. She ex)lained that it is im)ortant to find the

right mentor and for )otential mentees not to feel

intimidated about a))roaching )eo)le.

Shelley Alexander: “Prejudice can chi) away at your

confidence but it’s about changing those )erce)tions.”

DEBATING THE ISSUESThe Barriers: How We Are Missing

Out On Diverse Talent

Our o)ening )anel, hosted by BBC S)ort Broadcaster

Hugh Woozencroft, brought together well-known

figures from across the s)orts media industry to

reflect on their own ex)eriences, and focus on what

the sector needs to do now to bring about change.

Alex Kay-Jelski – The Times, S)orts Editor

Jonathan Liew – The Telegra)h, S)orts Writer

Maggie Alphonsi MBE – Broadcaster and former

England rugby union )layer

Rodney Hinds – The Voice News)a)er, S)orts Editor

Sonali Shah – BBC, Broadcaster

Andy Stevenson – Channel 4, Commissioning Executive

The stats suggest that the talent isn’t out there…

but we know that it is

Rodney Hinds [reflecting on BCOMS research]: “There

is enormous talent the decision makers sim)ly aren’t

taking the chance on. Those figures are hugely

disa))ointing.”

Real diversity isn’t a tick box exercise

Sonali Shah: “Too many )eo)le have a )re-conceived

idea about what a diverse )erson will be like. Diverse

)eo)le shouldn’t have to fit a mould; let them be

diverse, sound diverse and look diverse. If we look

at the actual athletes re)resenting our country we

will see a diverse re)resentations of backgrounds,

ethnicities, religions, gender and sexualities – the

s)orts media )o)ulation must reflect this.”

Engage the whole audience population, not just a

select few

Jonathan Liew: “There is )otentially a sub-conscious

fear of diversity. S)orts news)a)er writers are nearly

all white men and will naturally lean towards hiring

similar )eo)le to themselves. However, this lack of

diversity is counter-)roductive when it comes to

creating a )roduct that can engage the entire national

audience.”

What’s Working?Olym)ic s)rinter turned broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye

hosted our first worksho) examining the existing

resources and schemes in )lace to im)rove diversity in

the sector.

Lewis Wiltshire – Twitter, Senior Director of Media

Partnershi)s

Shelley Alexander – BBC S)ort, Editorial Lead on

Women’s S)ort

Andy Stevenson – Channel 4, Commissioning

Executive

The landscape for media and diversity

While there are currently no s)orts media s)ecific

schemes or targets, both the BBC and Channel 4 have

set out their stalls as frontrunners when it comes to

overall diversity )olicies. The BBC is im)lementing

diversity quotas across their whole cor)oration - both

on and off air - to better reflect its audiences by 2020.

Meanwhile Channel 4 launched their ‘360° Charter’

in 2015 - a five year )lan for making the organisation

more diverse which, “)uts diversity at the heart

of all decision-making at Channel 4”. The network

underlined their commitment to the issue with a 12

month re)ort, )ublished in 2016, showing )rogress

made.

An internal audit is a great first step to tackling a

lack of diversity

Lewis Wiltshire: “We [Twitter] voluntarily made our

diversity data )ublic in 2014/15 and we made clear

our objectives for 2016. I’m )roud of some of the big

ways that we are thinking about that, like targeting

for recruitment universities in America that are called

‘historically black colleges’.”

It’s not all about grand schemes, there are simple

cost-free solutions to improving diversity

Lewis Wiltshire: “There are small, everyday things that

you can do, for exam)le, we [Twitter] are encouraged

by the most senior leadershi) in the com)any to )ush

back on conference organisers when we are asked to

a))ear on an all-white, male )anel.”

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A glass ceiling still exists for those trying to move

into senior roles within the ‘old boys’ networks of

the established media organisations

Amar Singh: “The old media, its guardians and old

boys network are fading away. The new age of digital

media ensures that anyone can be involved within the

discussion and this will eventually level the )laying

field.”

those recruiting to ensure that everyone knows the

danger signs and that they know what they are really

looking for – we’ve got to get that right.”

BCOMS’ Leon Mann asked the question of whether

self-regulation when delivering diversity will work.

Broadcasters are fiercely com)eting for the rights of

major s)orting events and leagues, so is it feasible

that contractual encouragement or clauses on greater

diversity across the )resentation can be strived for?

The s)orts industry already holds within it the )ower

and leverage to bring diversity into the media that

covers its )roducts.

Phili) Bernie: “I’m not saying you shouldn’t seek

su))ort from s)orts organisations - but it should be u)

to us to get this right… and we will”

Ste)hen Lyle said a similar move by Channel 4 had

seen )rogress: “It’s an interesting )oint. At Channel 4

we make it clear to )roduction com)anies that they

won’t win contracts from us unless they hit diversity

targets. This has had a )ositive im)act.”

Understand your workplace and audiences.

Simon Green: “BT S)ort are based in one of the most

diverse )arts of the country and we want to engage

audiences of all backgrounds. So diversity is about

good business and doing the right thing.”

The Next GenerationBenny Bonsu, Broadcaster and Producer, BBC World

Service, chaired our second worksho) looking at how

to su))ort and access the next generation of talented

s)orts media )rofessionals.

Jamie Hindhaugh – BT S)ort, COO

Rioch Edwards-Brown – SYWBOTV, Founder

Amar Singh – Squawka, Chief Content Officer

Change is overdue: the industry must act now to

engage the next generation of talent.

Jamie Hindhaugh: “This, quite frankly, should no

longer be a discussion anymore. Peo)le should be

able to come into this industry on their merit of talent.

It must be ensured that these communities, which

undoubtedly )ossess the talent, feel confident enough

to a))ly this, and not quotas, is what will ensure those

figures change.”

What can the sports media industry do to access

and engage future talent?

Traditional methods of advertising vacancies,

internshi) and work ex)erience o))ortunities may

not reach a diverse audience. The So You Wanna Be

In TV Founder, Rioch Edwards-Brown, s)oke of just

how crucial it is that organisations are truly willing to

commit to change in order for )rogress to be made.

Rioch Edwards-Brown: “Honesty s)eaks volumes.”

Quotas continue to divide opinion - one alternative

suggestion focused on the creation and cultivation

of a diverse talent pool

Jamie Hindhaugh: “This discussion is all about the

right )eo)le a))lying for the right o))ortunity and

achieving the right role, quotas can undermine that.”

Discrimination is still an issue

Benny Bonsu: “I was told I was ‘too black for TV’ only

four years ago.”

It’s All About The

Solutions

Jessica Creighton, BBC S)ort Broadcaster, chaired

our closing )anel, and after hearing the o)inions

and concerns of a vast array of figures throughout

the conference, it was time to see what some of the

biggest bosses of the industry had to say.

Simon Green – BT S)ort CEO

Philip Bernie – BBC Head of TV S)ort

Andy Cairns – Executive Editor, Sky S)orts News

Stephen Lyle – Channel 4 Commissioning Editor

for S)ort

There is not a lack of talent, instead the industry

needs to be made more accessible.

BBC Head of TV S)ort, Phili) Bernie, told the delegates

that the broadcasting )owerhouse is using social

media )latforms to reach out to a))licants from a

greater range of backgrounds, by ta))ing into the

networks that they are already a )art of.

Phili) Bernie: “The recruitment )i)eline is still way too

small and thin, and we need to stretch out.”

“Junior )eo)le or students don’t necessarily gravitate

towards what 50 year-old media executives do, so

we’ve got to look at ways to recruit )eo)le through

new media, and it’s something we’re working on.”

Andy Cairns, Executive Editor of Sky S)orts News,

s)oke of the a))renticeshi) schemes within his

newsroom but also that similar efforts need to be

im)lemented and maintained by the entire breadth of

the industry:

Andy Cairns: “While there is an intention from the to),

we have to make sure that the )eo)le doing the hiring

at every level understand our business )riorities and

why this is such a )riority for us.”

In order to achieve diversity, there must be a lack of

bias within recruitment.

Andy Cairns: “We hold unconscious bias training for

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Next Steps…BCOMS is an unfunded network. Volunteers deliver

everything we do. But we are committed and will do all

we can to )ush things forward in this area.

The D Word 2 conference was a great success. It

galvanised a range of forward thinking )eo)le in the

industry to want to work towards a more diverse

s)orts media.

But we have been here before. Two years ago we were

energised, and ultimately the )rogress made hasn’t

reflected the ambition.

So BCOMS wants to place on record what we will

do…

1/ Bring diverse as)iring journalists together with

suitable mentors from the s)orts media

2/ Arrange networking events for those wishing to

break into the s)orts media to meet and get advice

from those with ex)erience of the industry

3/ Advertise jobs and events on BCOMS website and

across its social media outlets

4/ Continue to lobby senior decision makers and work

with them to tackle under re)resentation in the s)orts

media

5/ Seek the su))ort of s)orts rights holders to

understand the value greater diversity in those

covering their events and leagues brings to their

)roducts

BCOMS will deliver all of the above as part of our

contribution to addressing the lack of diversity in

the sports media. This guide offers a number of

ideas and challenges to senior decision makers in

the industry - we look forward to reviewing what

they have implemented at The D Word 3.

conference IMAGES…

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CONTACT

www.bcoms.co

INFO@BCOMS.CO

@BCOMSTWEET

@OfficialBCOMS

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