Turn the stump mic down and stop exploiting players

Tim Paine appeals during the final day of the third Test Picture: Getty Images

It has been an age-old argument between broadcasters and sporting bodies, more access to the players. It goes on in all sports and I was part of it for over three decades working for both Seven and Ten networks. Broadcasters push the boundaries and sporting organisations walk a fine line managing the interests of their players and commercial partners.

On Monday at the SCG, things got out of hand on the final day of a gripping Test match. Australian captain Tim Paine’s conversation with Ravi Ashwin, slipped from friendly niggle to personal insults, something that no-one would be proud of, least of all Paine.

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Australia’s wicketkeeper is one of the best people I have met in cricket. A man with his ego under control, calm and with a natural generosity of spirit. However, under the pressure of the moment, he said things that he has regretted. Having already been fined for language used towards umpire Paul Wilson, again captured by the stump mics, Paine took full responsibility for his actions, stating that he knows the mics are there and that he needs to behave better.

The damage has been done but should Paine or any other cricketer be put in this position?

This argument is something that I know a lot about. I pushed sporting organisations hard for innovation. When producing Ten’s AFL from 2002 to 2011, we made many breakthroughs, including interviewing players coming off the ground, talking to coaches live in the coach’s boxes during play, listening to their quarter, half- and three-quarter-time addresses, as well as pre match and post-match speeches. However, all of them were done under strong supervision, either from the clubs or the league. Each individual knew that we were going live with his comments, or that they would be recorded, listened to and edited if needed.

When producing the BBL on Ten, we pushed hard for innovation and the conversations with players on the field, as they were playing, were critical to the success of the competition. Listening to Kevin Pietersen as he was batting was a highlight. However, there is a difference between that and what happened on Monday. KP knew we were coming to him. We asked are you OK if we come to you now? He then had the commentary in his ears, he could listen in to the conversation, he knew and understood the context. He was prepared and knew not to say something silly (not that this stopped KP at times). In contrast, Paine had to think about securing the last few wickets for a Test victory, on top of not having his best day behind the stumps. Is it fair to expect him to remember to be careful about everything he says particularly as the world is listening?

I am not calling for the removal of the stump mics. They should be used as atmospheric background sound – as they always have been – not to selectively eavesdrop on player conversations when the player’s focus is on the game not the broadcast.

Tim Paine’s run-in with Ravi Ashwin at the SCG was unsavoury but should it have been broadcast? Picture: Getty Images

The thirst for innovation has become insatiable and it is driven by money.

As broadcasters struggle to hold audiences against a tsunami of streaming organisations, the pressure to make live broadcasts more entertaining intensifies. At the same time, there is a wave of behind-the-scenes documentaries – in particular The Last Dance and The Test – that go into the nitty gritty of what happens. It’s compelling and again just piles the pressure on our domestic sports broadcasters to gain greater access.

As ratings for live sport, especially on free-to-air television continue to decline, so too does the revenue and with it the value of rights fees for sporting bodies.

The producers are under more pressure than ever before to innovate. Find a way to increase ratings, find a way to generate interest …. just bloody find a way so we can write more advertising revenue.

I am not a fan of this evolution. My view is not new. In 2018, I was quoted in an article in News Corp newspapers disagreeing with the cranking up of stump mics as an exploitation of the players’ workplace. At the time I was the head of cricket at Channel 7, a position I left before the first summer of the new deal, so it did not become my problem.

Is it great TV? Most fans will probably say yes, and maybe that is all that matters. However, I believe that is not the entire story. Imagine going to work every day, having to perform under pressure with a microphone sitting a metre or so away from you, capturing everything you say. It is not something that I would willingly sign up for.

So, whose issue is this? Tim Paine’s, for sure. The broadcaster? Does the broadcaster have a responsibility to look after the image of the game? Cricket Australia’s? Does CA have a responsibility to their players, essentially their workers, to protect them?

The mystique should be kept in sport. I am glad that I don’t really know what Steve Waugh said to Herschelle Gibbs about dropping the World Cup.

Not knowing, builds a legend and with it a folklore that generates interest and enthusiasm for sport. Test cricket is the hardest of all games. It is not a place for the faint hearted.

Everyone needs to think about this rush to access. Less is more and some things are better just left unheard.

Dave Barham is a former head of sport at Channel 10 and head of cricket at Channel 7