Dr. Mahfoud Amara
For decades, sport communication followed a familiar script. Football matches were watched on national television, analyzed by a small group of experts, reported in newspapers the next morning, and discussed on the radio during the commute to work. The experience was largely collective, but also tightly controlled. Today, sport – and football in particular – is living through a profound transformation driven by digital platforms, streaming services, and social media. This is not simply a change in technology; it is a change in culture, power, and storytelling.
Companies that originally built their businesses around cinema, series, and entertainment – such as Amazon, Apple, and Netflix – are now investing heavily in sport. Football leagues, the NBA, and other premium competitions are no longer just “content”; they are strategic assets in a global competition for subscribers, data, and attention. Fans no longer just watch matches; they consume highlights, documentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, podcasts, and short clips optimized for mobile phones.
Alongside streaming, social media has transformed who speaks about sport. Clubs once communicated through official statements, press conferences, and controlled interviews. Today, players, fans, influencers, and independent media all intervene directly in the public conversation. This creates opportunities for authenticity and closeness, but also confusion. What is official? What is personal opinion? What is strategy, and what is emotion?
Podcasts, YouTube channels, and social media spaces now compete with traditional sports journalism. Yet this environment has also opened creative spaces, especially in regions where mainstream global media often fails to capture cultural nuance.
One striking example from the Arab world is the rise of football talk shows inspired by the majlis tradition. Programs like Majliss-style football talk shows represent something genuinely new in sports communication. Rooted in the Arab cultural tradition of the majlis – a space of conversation, storytelling, hospitality, and debate – these shows go far beyond match analysis. Football discussions flow naturally into geography, history, food, folklore, and current affairs. This is not accidental. It reflects a broader shift in how audiences want to engage with sport: not as isolated entertainment, but as a social and cultural experience. These programs celebrate Arab diversity while using football as a shared language. They challenge the idea that sports analysis must follow Western studio formats or rigid expert hierarchies. In doing so, they reclaim narrative space. They show that global sport can be discussed through local voices, humor, accents, and traditions, without losing sophistication or relevance.
To conclude, sport communication today is no longer just about informing; it is about engaging, negotiating, and sometimes surviving in a crowded space. From global streaming platforms to majlis-style conversations, football has become a mirror of our connected world: fragmented, global yet deeply local.
* The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication
Dr. Mahfoud Amara is an Associate Professor in Sport Social Sciences and Management at Qatar University.
