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The Why Factor

Series 2

Long Distance Sports Fans

Duration: 12 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW

Available for over a year

Every week, hundreds of millions of people around the world surrender their emotions; leave them for a while in the hands of strangers. They might face dejection or, with luck, jubilation. The US National Basketball Association says that less than one percent of fans globally will ever watch a game live. While the Premier League is played in England and Wales, almost half of the fans 470 million of them live in Asia and Oceania. Another 260 million follow the game from sub-Saharan Africa. Mike Williams asks why do sports fans do it? With Eric Simons, author of the Secret Life of Sports Fans, Xinjiu Wang, Chinese fan of Swansea City, Stanley Kwanke, BBC Africa, Emily Clarke, fan of the Denver Nuggets, David Goldblatt, Author of The Ball is Round.

Presenter:Mike Williams
Producer:Bob Howard
Editor:Andrew Smith






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