sports media | Leon Mann

March 9, 2015March 10, 2015 by Leon Mann

Getting To Know The Real Andrew Cole

GOAL-KING COLE! On set with Andrew Cole after our ITV Sports Life Story interview

Andrew Cole has been called many things in his life. Andy, finisher, poacher, winner and goal king are up there. But so are moody, difficult, arrogant and problematic.

The Manchester United legend didn’t do much media as a player, so away from the pitch we have never got to know him. Like others, such as United teammate Paul Scholes, he decided he would do his talking on the pitch.

And if that was all he was judged on – playing football – he would be regarded as highly as Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp. But he isn’t – which doesn’t make much sense when you break down the facts.

Andrew Cole is the second highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League, behind Shearer. But Cole’s goals-per-Premier League-games ratio is actually higher. Cole didn’t take penalties, Shearer did – slotting away 56.

So when I was offered the chance to interview Cole, as part of the ITV Sports Life Stories series, I had so much to put to him.

He did not disappoint.

WATCH THE ANDY COLE SPORTS LIFE STORIES TRAILER

Cole was open about all aspects of his career – taking on the most sensitive talking points of his playing days. A lack of recognition as one of the Premier League’s greatest strikers, his beef with Teddy Sheringham, why he never got more of a chance with England, Andrew or Andy, why he failed to get on with a number of his managers… No stone was left unturned.

I was just as keen to get beyond the footie chat and see if I could truly get to know Andrew and understand why he decided not to engage with the media like others did – and benefitted as a result.

I had the privilege of speaking with his mum, dad, brother, wife and two children. They broke down his enigmatic personality in a way only family can.

The Andrew Cole story triggered lots of questions in my mind about how highly players value and understand the media. Can footballers ignore the media and still gain proper recognition? Do players understand, or care, that the public’s perception of them can impact on their career? Why can’t sportspeople be themselves – as inconvenient as that may be for the media at times – and be left alone?

Take a butchers. Andrew is ready to talk.

– Andy Cole, Sports Life Stories, on ITV 4 at 10pm tonight (10th March 2015)

TEAM WORK: Cole with myself and the production team from Hey Buddy TV – Producer, Shurwin Beckford and Director, Laurence Koe

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February 28, 2015February 28, 2015 by Leon Mann

Diversity Guide Must Be Catalyst For Change In Sports Media

FINDING SOLUTIONS: Leon Mann, BCOMS founder, opens The D Word conference in 2014

There comes a point when things need to be said to be able to move on. For the Black Collective Of Media in Sport (BCOMS), a network of sports journalists from African and Caribbean backgrounds, that moment has arrived.

First the facts.

In 2014, not one national newspaper sent a black sports writer to the World Cup. While in TV land, across all of the major sporting events in the summer just one black presenter and one editor were involved. Speaking more broadly – the mainstream press have never had a black sports columnist, who hasn’t played sports at the highest level, and away from specialist newspapers such as The Voice and The Morning Star, there has never been a black sports editor in charge of the back pages.

What makes all of the above a bigger deal is the fact that our community is incredibly well represented on the pitch, track and in the ring. It is estimated that 30% of professional footballers are black, while there is also high levels of representation in sports including athletics and boxing.

BCOMS response was to hold a national conference looking for solutions to address a disturbing lack of diversity across the sports media. More than 150 delegates attended.

The day was a success and thanks to funding from FARE, European football’s anti-discrimination network, BCOMS were able to use the contributions from the day to develop a good practice guide to help the industry deliver greater diversity.

The response to the guide has been overwhelmingly positive so far. But my hope is that the guide is not filed away under ‘things to do’ or left with a red flag next to it in an inbox. The sports media must move with urgency to reflect our nation and the interest and participation our community has in sport.

Football’s Problem

A black man is racially abused and prevented from getting on Paris Metro by Chelsea fans

Football brings people together. We hear it all the time. I proudly say it on TV a lot – when reporting on the games good causes. But with the good, can also come the bad.

Football brought racist thugs together with a black man on the Paris Metro, who was subsequently abused. Therefore, for me, those running the sport must take responsibility for what happened and double their efforts to ensure that the customers coming to deposit money in football’s pockets behave themselves.

– This column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper

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