Mark Chapman MoTD Mood: Business or Personal?

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For reasons I’m sure regular readers will understand, I snuggled into bed on Saturday night and watched Match of the Day for the first time in a while. (Yes, I am very rock ’n’ roll, thanks for asking.) Like many others, I was shocked by the dour performance of host Mark Chapman.

I regard Chappers as pound-for-pound the best sports broadcaster in Britain. However, it was clear from the off something was wrong.

It was not pretty to watch. Steph Houghton and Martin Keown were left to try and keep the show on the road. Any quick browse of the internet will confirm that I was far from the only person to notice Chapman’s change in tone.

The Telegraph columnist and former Addition podcast guest Alan Tyers rightly noted:

Chapman, normally such agreeable and enjoyable TV company, had the bearing throughout of a shot-down airman in a hostage video.

Mark Chapman Mood Needs Sorting ASAP

As I said in this short video, a combination of things is likely going on. For instance, more speculation about Chapman’s relationship with co-star Kelly Cates broke in The Sun just an hour before MoTD went on air. That is unlikely to have put him in a good mood.

Furthermore, the Daily Mail reported a rift with BBC Sport boss Alex Kay-Jelski. “Mark cannot stand Alex,’ one source told the outlet. “He doesn’t like what he is doing with the whole sports set-up”

My inkling is that a personal story breaking an hour before going live is most likely what threw Chappers, whatever his feelings about Kay-Jelski are. However, it is notable that Chapman’s performance on Sky on Sunday afternoon was much more the kind we expect from him. That’s despite Sunderland vs Leeds being an absolutely dreadful 0-0 draw.

Whatever the reason behind Saturday’s miserable showing, one thing is for certain: Mark Chapman is BBC Sport’s biggest star, almost omnipresent on TV and radio every weekend. This needs sorting. Quickly.