The culture of Badminton in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) is far different from the culture of Badminton in the Far East.
In the UK, Badminton has a very low profile and attracts very little media coverage at all in both newspapers and on television. This means that the public takes less interest in the sport and because it isn't a very high profile sport, many people taking up sport in the UK are choosing sports such as Football, Cricket, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Athletics and its distant cousin, Tennis, as these sports all have a much higher profile and media coverage.
Top players such as Simon Archer of the Great Britain Olympic (Sydney 2000) squad do not receive much media coverage, only during the Olympics' does Badminton enjoy a fair bit of coverage in the harsh and sometimes ruthless British media.
Due to the lack of interest in the sport of Badminton, there is a lack of playing numbers, because there is a lack of playing numbers, there is a lack of clubs and most of all, a lack of sponsorship. Sponsorship in sport is a major sector because not only does it bring money into the sport for the youth and grass-roots level, but it also brings commercial value and generates far more public awareness and with more interest, more money is generated which can be used to benefit the sport in the amateur level and at the elite level.
Take Rugby Union for example, for over one hundred years the sport was an amateur game and a second rate sport to Rugby League in terms of professionalism and sponsorships. But since the game turned professional in 1995, it has taken a huge foothold in the sponsorship industry attracting some of the biggest sponsor names such as Lloyds TSB, Zurich and Heineken. Since the rise in sponsorship deals and higher wages in Rugby Union, the profile of the sport has increased and many Rugby League players now switch sports to make a career in Rugby Union.
It is very important that Badminton generate more interest in the British media to raise awareness of the sport. Sport England Lottery funding has helped the sport on an elite level but there is still, a lack of Badminton clubs around the UK and the sport has suffered in schools too, as many children are more interested in playing the more popular racquet sports such as Tennis. One advantage for Badminton is that the sport is a GCSE sport in high schools so there are a high number of children playing the sport between 14 and 16, however, due to the lack of clubs, there isn't much opportunity for the better school players to aim for, especially for a successful elite career in the sport which is why many children take up the popular high profile professional sports such as Football and Rugby.
Badminton in the Far East is the total reverse to the UK. Badminton in Far Eastern countries as Indonesia, South Korea and North Korea is extremely popular. The sport has the same kind of media profile as Football (Soccer) does in Britain, American Football and Baseball in the United States and the two Rugby codes in Australia and New Zealand. Badminton is overwhelmingly more popular in those countries than in the United Kingdom, which already indicates the huge differences of the culture of the sport in the Far East compared to in the UK.
In the Far East there are hundreds of thousands of Badminton players coming through their many development schemes each year which results in many top Asian players dominating the world rankings.
As you would expect, Badminton has a huge media profile in the Far East with many big name sponsors and heaps of television coverage of the sport which benefits the sport in a great way. It helps the sport in terms of money coming into the game from television broadcasting revenue and millions of pounds goes into the governing body's of the top nations and the top athletes which means the governing body's are spending more money on important developments of the sport such as equipment, facilities and player development schemes and academies which sees more elite players making it to a professional level in the sport.
Although there are more players coming through development schemes and because there is a great demand to play the sport in the Far East, this makes it a lot harder for scouts in the top Asian Badminton countries to identify the best or recognise all the talented players for trials and academies etc because there are so many playing the sport at different standards and levels. Many young players hopes and dreams are dashed due to high demand and the high level of tough competition where as in the United Kingdom, many young players struggle to find opportunities to showcase their talent on a higher platform.
Due to the higher media coverage on Badminton in the Far East, the sport is able to attract big name sponsors and huge sums of money. This helps give the up and coming players a chance to showcase their talent on the biggest stage and make a name for themselves, whether that would be at the Olympic Games or the World Championships. The other sports which pose a threat to Badminton in many of the top Far Eastern or Asian countries are Cricket, Football, Table Tennis (Ping Pong), Basketball and even Baseball.
Due to the high demand in competitiveness in the sport at the highest level in the Far East, steroid and performance enhancing drug use has gradually become a problem for the sport.
LUKE REDFEARN VS. JOHN GASCOYNE ON RJ SPORTS TV:
MY FRIENDS LUKE REDFEARN AND JOHN GASCOYNE COMPETING AGAINST ONE ANOTHER IN A RECREATIONAL BADMINTON MATCH UP AT THE ARMLEY SPORTS CENTRE IN LEEDS, YORKSHIRE, UK.