How the Media Has Changed the Face and Future of Football

Football is undoubtedly the world's most popular sport. But do we ever stop to think about how it is portrayed to us by the media—in magazines and newspapers, on television, on the radio, online and through social media?

With the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ around the corner, the world is beginning to descend on Qatar—physically, virtually and metaphorically. The Media Majlis, a media, communication and journalism museum located within Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university Northwestern Qatar, has curated an exhibition that asks the question: Is it a beautiful game?

The Media Majlis at Northwestern University in Qatar explores the deep and intertwined relationship between football and media with an exhibition that challenges audiences to question how these two mega-industries influence opinions and views.

The exhibition is curated by the museum's associate curator and manager of exhibition planning, Jack Thomas Taylor. "We want audiences to feel empowered to ask critical questions," says Taylor. "Football and the media are two multi-billion-dollar industries with a complex relationship that continues to grow, shape and morph across time, technology and cultures. We believe everyone has the right to know how football, media and the game intertwine."

As Qatar prepares to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™—the first time the tournament is taking place in the Arab world—this exhibition invites everyone, especially students, media professionals and football fans, to learn more about the dynamics of the sport and its culture.

"Since Qatar was announced as the host for the upcoming tournament, there has been much questioning concerning Qatar’s, and the region's, sporting heritage. You often hear statements that it doesn't exist, but that's simply not true. Over the last century, Qatar has evolved into a global player," says Taylor.

"Northwestern Qatar is educating, mentoring, training and preparing the next generation of journalists and media professionals. Our university is just a few kilometers away from one of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ stadiums and even closer to the hub that will mediate the tournament to the world. So, if any institution should dig deeper into this subject, it should be us."

"Everything we do is student-first. Whether our students work with us to develop ideas, research narratives, help produce content, evaluate our audiences’ responses to exhibitions, or even explore the subject and themes during a faculty-led class, all our exhibitions provide educational opportunities. We hope faculty—from within Qatar and beyond—use the museum space as their classroom for informal learning and debate."

Football jerseys worn by Mohamed Salah and Diego Maradona provoke audiences to consider the spectrum of hero and villain. In contrast, a photograph of Arab entertainment icons Farid Al-Atrache, Layla Fawzi, Houda Sultan, Salah Zoulfikar, Madiha Yusri, Farid Chawki, Omar Sherif, and Mariam Fakhreddine attending a football match in the late 1950s reminds visitors that the Arab world does have football heritage.

These objects are complemented by various museum-made films, including 'Where do you stand?'—a production that includes graduates from universities within Qatar, including Northwestern Qatar, QF partner university Georgetown University in Qatar, QF’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Northumbria University. The participants discuss their perspectives on discrimination and hate speech, footballers’ actions off the pitch, and the tension that media headlines can create.

"It's so important to continuously engage with our community and provide opportunities for collaboration. For this exhibition, we invited alumni from various universities within Qatar to share their perspectives on the social politics of football and fan culture," Taylor says.

"We have a duty to include the diverse voices that make our communities so unique in our exhibitions and lend a platform to showcase there is always another side. Even when our students graduate, they are still a part of the fabric of the university and are always welcome back."

'Is it a beautiful game?' is open from Saturday to Wednesday, from 10am–5pm each day, until November 12, 2022, and is accompanied by several public programs and a film screening. The exhibition’s edited edition of 'Voices and Conversations,' a full-color publication focusing on the sound of sports, is on sale in English and Arabic. 

For more information, please visit mediamajlis.northwestern.edu