Why is the BBC’s women’s football coverage so patronising?

Be honest, how excited are you about the women’s European football championship? The BBC – which will broadcast every game of the tournament that starts on Wednesday – clearly expects you to be very excited indeed. But is the BBC in danger of overhyping women’s football, and doing it and the players a disservice in the process?

Our national broadcaster has form here. The coverage of the women’s World Cup of 2019 was similarly comprehensive and exhaustingly upbeat. Decent games were ‘wonderful’, mediocre games ‘good’; and ways were found to describe stinkers in some way or other positively. There were few poor players, just disappointing performances by hugely talented individuals. No expense was spared in the coverage: BBC Breakfast host Sally Nugent even popped up in Lyon to report on the fallout of England’s semi-final loss to the USA.

But what is disturbing is that it isn’t always women’s football itself that seems to get BBC executives so energised, but the gender politics at play.