ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates the extent to which, in the modern era, sports journalism can only offer a truly comprehensive account of events by adopting approaches more commonly associated with business and political journalism. In passing, each of the politicians acknowledged that the 1997 amendments to the European Union's "Television Without Frontiers" directive empowered European Union member states to draw up a list of events, which had to be made available on a free-to-air basis. If public service broadcasting is meant to mean anything, it is meant to mean broadcasters reflecting and covering truly national events that bind the country together. Prior to 1988 the Republic of Ireland had never qualified for a major international soccer championship. However after qualifying for the 1988 European Championships the team went on to qualify for the 1990, 1994, and 2002 World Cups.
