Sports Media Exam 1
What is the most popular sports team in the world?
Manchester United
In the 1930s radio was dominated by what two providers?
National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
Conservatism
- Dominant in the 80s - Sports writing was more realistic and optimisitc - Focus on the nuts and bolts of athletic contests (players and their actions on the field) rather than political and social issues - Mirrored the 80s political landscape
Joe Namath significance
NY Jets superstar, sports icon and actor, Broadway was part of his nickname, made into this larger-than-life hero persona, didn't fit it except for his looks
The relationship between sport and mass media is ______, meaning they _____ and ____ each other.
Symbiotic, support, benefit
examples of borderline violence
brush-back pitch in baseball, clean fistfight in hockey, spearing in football
North American sport markets are approaching what? What does further significant growth depend on?
maturity; globalization
What is the primary source of sport media jobs?
local sports
Definition of mass media (2 parts)
means of mass communication through particular mediums, group of journalists and others who constitute the communications industry or profession
On many issues, this plays a major part in our interpretation of events.
media framing
Examples of media framing in sport
nationalism, jingoism 1980, 84 Olympics
What is a big problem for sports journalism (& difficult to achieve)?
objectivity
quasi-criminal violence
practices that violate rules and norms of the game. endanger players and may be against the law
True or False: sports fan consumer more media than non-sports fans
True
What is aggression?
verbal or physical actions grounded in an intent to dominate, control, or do harm to another person
1984 meant what for basketball?
Beginning of the NBA's ride to new populatiry through mass media coverage/promotion
What was adopted in 1954 by the NBA to make the game more exciting?
24-second shot clock
Who was Dr. J?
Julius Erving - "The world's greatest aerial acrobat" - Some basketball historians argue that he saved the NBA from extinction and brought the art of the dunk to the masses
What prevented full league growth for the NFL?
Teams negotiated rights fees individually until the 1960s, thus preventing full league growth.
What is the most powerful and significant of all media?
Television
How has the sports section in newspapers changed over the decades?
- 1900: 15% of all general news coverage - 1975: 50% of all general news coverage - 1900: 9% of the newspaper - 1975: 17% of the newspaper - Today: more than 20% of the newspaper and increasing. Why? However, the # of pages in print newspapers keep decreasing
The Perspective Period
- 1930-50 - Giddiness changed dramaticall yafter the Depression and during pre-WWII America - Four trends alter coverage of sports - Nation's mood influences coverage
Trend 4: Development of Radio
- Papers had to compete with new medium - Ironic to think about today,radio at this time led to more realism and objectivity in reporting - Also added a flair for verbal commentary in covering sport - Boxing and baseball in the early 20s - Universities, teams, conferences: feared radio would affect attendance, banned or limited broadcasts (lifted by 36)
Trend 1: Change in public perception
- Questioning of writers' professionalism, objectivity & ethics - Depression affected paper revenues and salaries
What was considered the "Golden Age of Sports"?
1920s
What era was labeled the Perspective Period?
1930-1950
ABC pioneered what two major things?
1. Network coverage of the Olympic Games 2. Prime-time sport with Monday Night Football
What challenges emerged to the game of basketball?
1. Popularity of the amateur game 2. Popularity of regional teams
Impact of Television on American Professional Sports
1. Rights payments have long been a substantial portion of gross revenue, and those figures keep increasing 2. Broadcast revenue is normally a stable source of income 3. Television has been source of income with the potential for increase 4. Television has influenced the nature of professional sports and - to a lesser extent - college sports (e.g. shot block, FB overtime, etc.) 5. Proliferation of sports stars
When did Sports Illustrated launch?
1954
When did Wide World of Sports launch? What was it?
1961, sports anthology TV program
When did the NBA achieve mainstream popularity?
1980s - with the entrance of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird = re-birth of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry
What network pioneered network coverage of the Olympic Games?
ABC
What network was the first to recognize and implement the power of sport on television?
ABC
During the 1920s, AKA the Golden Age of Sports, what became a primary form of competition for large corporations?
Advertising - During this era, newspaper profitability was based on attracting a large audience that could be "sold" to advertisers. This remains true today.
The Golden Age of Sports gave us our first national sports superstar. Who?
Babe Ruth
What two leagues merged to form the NBA?
Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL)
Who is the only pro, major team-sport athlete in U.S. history who cannot fit all of his championship rings on two hands?
Bill Russell
What advanced sport's reach exponentially int he late 70s and 80s?
Cable TV
Today's style of sports journalism is a mixture of _____ and _____.
Conservatism and realism
Johnson and Bird made great TV drama for the NBA - Why?
Cultural and racial contrasts. During the 80s, they became the two best-known athletes in the country, marking the first time NBA has attained such noteriety
1900s-1910s
During this period, nearly every major newspaper in the country followed the lead of the New York papers by adding a sports section or at least devoting entire pages to sports coverage. - But the growth of professional sport popularity was not great.
What's the largest cable network in the U.S.?
ESPN
Network TV increasing sports coverage had what effect on fans?
Enabled fans to experience sport instantly and visually - propelling sport as national and global phenomenon
Major league sports are ________.
Entertainment products
National popularity of basketball increased in the 1980s due to what?
Entrance of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird
Who was America's first full-time sports writer?
Henry Chadwick
Who were the original announcers of Monday Night Football?
Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, and Keith Jackson
How did the development of radio (1930-50) affect reporting?
Led to more realism and objectivity in reporting and also added a flair for verbal commentary
Media generate sales based on the coverage of what?
Media generate sales based on the coverage of sport.
Who took basketball to unprecedented levels of popularity?
Michael Jordan
There was little progress in developing a national audience for basketball until when?
Mid-1960s
USPS made a stamp to honor what show?
Monday Night Football
What is now the second longest-running prime-time TV show?
Monday Night Football, behind 60 Minutes
What league was the first to maximize TV technology?
NFL
How many cameras were initially used for TV broadcast of sporting events?
One
Why do some sport scholars argue that the NBA because our favorite professional sport in the 1990s?
Primarily because of the popularity of Michael Jordan across society. This established NBA stars as the most marketable TV sports advertisers
What affect did Rozelle getting the Sports Broadcasting Act have?
Since that time, all NFL TV contracts have been jointly and evenly shared by all teams in the league, which is proportionally shares with the players per the CBA
The growth of ________ have led to the commodification of popular spectator sports.
Professional and popular amateur sports
How did radio broadcast of sports compete with TV in TV's first decade?
Radio broadcast of sport competed well in the first decade of TV
Although radio was not a dominant medium in its early years, what effect did it have on advertising?
Radio was not a dominant medium, but advertisers purchased the rights to broadcast major sporting events. The networks paid $100,000 each to broadcast the 1934 World Series.
What are some examples of how television has influenced the nature of professional/college sports?
Shot clock, Football overtime
Trend 2: Reorganization of Newspaper structure
Sports departments began to edit their own copy (free from the bounds of papers' editorial structures. it has now reverted back for traditional newspapers)
The growth of modern sport is intertwined with what?
The growth of modern sport is intertwined with the stages of the communications revolution. (Print - Radio - Television)
What influenced the growth of sport in the 50s and 60s?
The launch of Sports Illustrated
The popularity of sport is due in large part to what?
The popularity of sport is due in large part to the attention provided by mass media.
Define commodification
To turn into or treat as a commodity; to make commercial
What did Rozelle promise to help get the Sports Broadcasting Act passed?
to bring an expansion team to New Orleans
When did professional baseball become entrenched as the national spectator sport?
1880s-90s
What was the most important factor in created a sports-oriented American society?
"Television's love affair with sports, especially major professional sports and college football and basketball"
Each SEC member school gets this amount of money annually from TV contracts even before playoffs/bowls, etc.
$35-40 million
Sport is at least a _______ (annual industry in the US and roughly a _____ industry worldwide.
$485 million, $1.5 billion
When was the first sports department established? By who and with what paper?
1883, Joseph Pulitzer, New York World
Pete Rozelle significance
- "the Master Commissioner" - made use of SBA (NFL uses every TV dollar equally)
Why was the emergence of baseball important to the print industry?
- 1853: Frank Queen founded New York Clipper, a magazine that focused on baseball - Included stories by Henry Chadwick, America's first full-time sports writer
Golden Age of Sport
- 1920s - Newspaper writers were ultimate homers - Used flowery language
The Greatest Game Ever Played
- 1958 - Showed how popular football can be on TV after Johnny Unitas led the Colts to a late TD drive to beat the giants in the NFL championship game at Yankees STadium
Events of Violence/terrorism in sport
- 1972 Munich summer olympic games - 1993 stabbing of Monica Seles - 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games - 2004 Pacers-Pistons brawl in Motown - Soccer matches in the world on a reg. basis - 2011 streets of Vancouver after Canucks' loss
Recognizing influence of cable television in the United States
- 200-240M are sports fans (71% of all Americans are NFL fans) - 91% of Americans have cell phones - 30M+ play fantasy sport games - 2.7B hours were logged at sports websites in one month
Realism
- A change in style that began in the 1950s and was magnified in the 60s - Sport was not regarded as significant in the bigger picture of life - Writers turned to investigate reporting and lifestyle journalism (a critical approach to writing) - Network TV replaced newspapers as most influential news source, with a few real reportes emerging from the "jockocracy" of televised sports
1880s-90s
- Baseball became entrenched as national spectator sport - Newspapers became the primary medium for sports coverage - 1883 - Joseph Pulitzer established the first sport department at the New York World - 1895 - William Randolph Hearst introduced the first sports section in the New York Journal.
1850s-1870s
- Baseball emerged as preeminent national team sport - Important to the print industry - The development of professional play and standardized rules and statistics allowed for extensive print coverage
What is significant about the Sports Illustrated in 1964
- Beginning of current format known as the Swimsuit Issue - Led to the sexualization of sport
History of Cable and Sport
- Cable TV actually began in the 1940s - Growth and acceptance came in the late 1970s - 1972: HBO was the first premium channel - 1980: CNN and ESPN were on most cable packages - 1987: 50%+ of American houses had cable - Mid-1990s: More specialized content - 2000: Cable reached 66M homes - Professional wrestling events have historically been some of the highest rated shows on cable
Examples of pay-tv technologies
- Cable and satellite systems - TIVA - Digital TV
Characteristics of ESPN
- Charismatic and compelling broadcasters - First broadcast September 7, 1979 - Shows offer provocative commentary, wit, keen writing and increasingly more original reporting - Arguably controls all of sport and sport media - 40 business entities and growing
Consequences of the New Oligopoly
- Corporate synergies that can be achieved by cross-ownership and cross-marketing. Roughly 1/3 of all major sport franchise owners are from entertainment sector - Television provides important revenues and publicity for sports - Exclusive coverage of sports helps sell cable or satellite subscriptions
George Mikan
- Famous for Mikan drills - First superstar of pro basketball (1950s)
Television & Baseball
- First perceived as threat by MLB, more so than other pro sport leagues - Some regarded television as a tool for boosting attendance not building an audience - 1953 Game of the Week telecasts - 1960s - some games broadcast nationally on weekends but there was no revenue sharing - 1970s - entrance of cable and television superstations - 80s - national contract to air games without competition from local broadcasts - Still today, local and regional attachments are predominate
Midwest Basketball Conference
- Formed in 1935 - Adopted rule used by college teams - Had corporate backing - Attracted college players from the midwest - Changed name to National Basketball League
Basketball Association of America
- Formed in 1946 - Teams named after cities - 1947, inter-league agreement with the NBL - 1949, BAA and NBL merged to form the National Basketball Association
American basketball league
- Founded in 1925 - Had exclusive player contracts - Adopted rule changes from the college game - Collapsed in 1931
What were the key outcomes from the 1850s-70s?
- Growth in sport and media - Societal acceptance of professional sport over long-standing beliefs and norms
1830s-1840s
- Impact of the industrial revolution and electric telegraph - The Spirit of the Times - Birth of the modern newspaper industry
What were some characteristics of sportswriting during the golden age?
- Individuals wrote about sport as a fantast world - Writing represented a "hero-worship" style - Stories were very colorful and exciting
Recognizing influence of cable television on sport
- Media coverage of sport seemingly has no boundaries in today's technologically advanced society - is a 24/7 passion
When was the first sports section introduced? By who and with what paper?
1895, William Randolph Hearts, New York Journal
Alternative model: revenue sharing
- no direct rights payment is included - the model is structured to cover the production and promotional costs of the broadcaster, initial payments to the sport league and broadcaster based on pre-arranged allotments, revenue sharing of any additional funds
Characteristics of sports programming audience
- Predictable - Consistent and watches live - Demographically desirable and can be influenced depending on sport + product
Pre 1830's
- Print media targeted the elite in American society, in part because they made up a large share of potential readers for 2 reasons 1. Newspapers carried little information about sport - horse races drew the most coverage 2. Sport news covered one page; sport weeklies included at the most four pages of coverage
Radio: Maturity
- Radio broadcasting of sporting events reached mature stage/pinnacle in market share in late 1940s and early 1950s - Sport properties had contracts with broadcasters to air games and contracts with advertisers who negotiated with broadcasters to air games - Radio broadcasts of sport competed well in the first decade of television (1950s) --tv initially used single camera to broadcast games
What happened when Sports Illustrated was launched in 1954?
- Satisfied fans' fascination with spectator sports - Popular among middle-class subscribers - Influenced growth of sport in the 50s and 60s - Also led to sexualization of sport via swimsuit edition - 1964 - Made the games more important to more people - Set agenda of just what sports were important - Counterbalanced persistent hype of TV (put sport into more meaningful context, legitimized sport with sophisticated, colorful writing) - Made an art out of in-depth reporting, and still remains the top producer of realism in sport journalism
How did print journalists modify their style and content to compete with network TV?
- Searched for different angles to maintain a fresh approach - Features and human interest stores increased - Started writing in conjunction with TV broadcasts
Trend 3: Expansion of coverage
- Shift in popularity from college to pro sports during 1930s - Baseball, boxing, horse racing dominated golden age papers - now branching out to cover football and basketball - One major exception was seabiscuit, which was the no. 1 newspaper in 1938. Won Time Magazine's MOTY
Key Characteristics of the Golden Age
- Significant events graced front-page headlines - Sportswriting embellished prose with literary devices (metaphors, analogies) - Blatant hero worshiping of athletes - Emotional and gripping language and imagery - Meticulous detail in describing events - Leads were high in drama and description and low in factual content - Writers used few quotes - Conversational tone - Columns refleced frivolity of sport - Writers used was and mythology references, and commonly employed rags-to-riches story - Writers used humor, slang, romance and drama - Storytelling was paramount - Stories relied on expert description and commentary for pre-TV - Writers extensively used nicknames
What two events happened in 1984 that helped the NBA rise to popularity?
- USA basketball won gold medal in summer olympics - Michael Jordan began his professional bball career
Network TV increases sports coverage
- enables fans to experience sport instantly and visually - print journalists modified style and content to compete - basketball, bowling and baseball gained attention in 50s - networks realized fans were a commodity to lure advertisers - NFL first to maximize TV technology - ABC first to recognize and implement power of sport on television
Roone Arledge significance
- probably the most important person in the history of sport media - ABC president - brought us Olympics on TV
The Rise of Television: By the late 50s and 60s...
1. At least one TV in majority of American homes 2. Advances in technology of sports broadcasting: color tv, videotape, portable cameras 3. Sports Broadcasting Act of 61: Pete Rozelle made better use of this than any other commissioner 4. Purchase of broadcast rights from teams and leagues
What 2 major changes to the rules of basketball emerged from the college game?
1. Two handed dribble prohibited 2. Out of bounds possession
What were key characteristics of the birth of the modern newspaper industry?
1830s-1840s - Profits from circulation and sale of advertising space - Market expanded to include middle- and working- classes thanks to a tremendous increase in the literate population - Some attention given to major sporting events, although that attention was limited compared to modern times
When and where was baseball created
1839 in Cooperstown, NY
What four trends alter the coverage of sports?
1. Change in public perception 2. Reorganization of newspaper structure 3. Expansion of coverage 4. Development of radio
Two key factors in a new television-sport relationship?
1. Entrance of FOX: gained stature by winning bigs to provide NFL and MLB coverage 2. Increasing popularity of the NFL
Loy's Definition of sport - 5 charactertistics
1. Playlike in nature 2. Competitive 3. based on physical prowess 4. involves elements of skill, strategy and chance 5. have an outcome that is not predetermined
4 types of violence in sport
1. brutal body contact 2. borderline violence 3. quasi-criminal violence 4. criminal violence
When was the first televised professional football game? What teams were playing?
1939, Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Eagles
Advent of cable TV
1940s
What year was the first Super Bowl played
1967
The Big Four oligopoly operates on _____ levels.
2 - Level one: the old oligopoly is the continuing power of the Big 4 to attract 60% of the prime time viewing audience. the traditional rights fee model predominates in level 1 - Level two: the new oligopoly is the vertical and horizontal integration of existing networks and other media companies. Now dominating the marketplace due to use of phones, internet and social media
The sport industry in the US includes nearly _____ jobs.
5 million
Big 3
ABC, CBS, NBC
In some cases, media actually helps develop sports. This league is an example of this
AFL
Father of baseball
Abner Doubleday
Prior to the early 1980s, the TV industry operated as what?
An oligopoly, meaning that a small number of producers controlled all aspects of the market
Who was the first sports superstar?
Babe Ruth
Who were the 3 most important athletes for the commodification of sport?
Babe Ruth, Joe Namath, Michael Jordan
What team emerge in the 1960s as arguably the greatest dynasty in U.S professional team sport history?
Boston Celtics, led by Red Auerback, Bob Cousy and Bill Russell
Has media transformed sport, or has sport transformed media?
Both
What network signed the first national TV contract with the NFL in 1962?
CBS
First three major radio stations?
CBS, NBC, ABC
First major cable stations?
CNN ,ESPN, WTBS
Cable provided an important outlet for sports, but didn't do what?
Cable provided an important outlet for sports, but did not initially divert important programming from the networks
Perspective Period
Changed attitudes about sport - depression, people disillusioned, less serious about sports, tired of people talking about how great everything was
What was important to the development of professional leagues, but now serves as a barrier to global sports?
Community identity
Business model tied to Sunday Ticket and NFL
DirecTV
What is the problem with broadcast of baseball?
Does not translate as well to TV as football and basketball because there is less action
What network still covers more sports programming than any other network?
ESPN
Roughly 1/3 of all major sport franchise owners came from where?
Entertainment sector
What is the number one way to prepare yourself for careers in sport?
Experience
Why did the NCAA limit the amount of national telecasts of college football games?
Feared attendance declines and increased corruptions - until then ABC held regular-season contract for rights to cover almost all college football games
Universities, teams and conferences feared radio would do what?
Feared radio would affect attendance, so they banned/limited broadcasts - but this was lifted by 1936.
Major professional sport organizations seek to demonstrate that they can attract ____________.
Global audiences
First premium channel?
HBO
Who was the head of the first newspaper sports department?
Joseph Pulitzer
The supply of major and popular live sport products is _______.
Limited
What leagues struggle with globalization?
MLB, NFL
Pro basketball struggled for a long time, but these two players changed that in the 1980s.
Magic Johnson & Larry Bird
What was broadcasted in the early years of radio? (primarily)
Major prizefights, football games, the world series
example of criminal violence
Marty McSorley slashing below face legal action
Means of mass communication through particular mediums
Mass media
What sports fans are most likely to be influenced by advertising?
NASCAR
What league does the best job of globalizing its sport league?
NBA
What major U.S. sport league has been most proactive in globalization efforts?
NBA
_____ football struggled early on, while _______ football was popular with the masses.
Pro, college
What form of media came about in the late 1910s?
Radio
Michael Jordan replaced who as the most well-known athlete and rivaled who as the most well-known living person?
Replaced Ali Rivaled Bill Clinton and the Queen of England
The 1960s included a television sports explosion fueled by ABC, which was led by what ABC president?
Roone Arledge - $8.5 million 5-year contract with AFL in 1962. The more popular and established NFL signed with CBS for $4.65 mil per year
What was the NBA's first great dual between star players?
Russell-Wilt Chamberlain
Who made Joe Namath a superstar?
Sonny Werblin
What did Sonny Werblin do?
Sonny Werblin taught everyone that product, medium and producer may be fused together
First ever sport newsletter in the US, focused on horse racing
Spirit of the Times
What act allowed leagues to negotiate cartels for media?
Sports Broadcasting Act, Pete Rozelle made use of it
What publication is the top producer of realism in sport journalism?
Sports Illustrated - made an art out of in-depth reporting
Commodification of sport essentially means what?
Sports make money
Subscription television achieved what by the late 1980s?
Subscription television achieved near complete market penetration by the late 1980s - Fueled by access to sports and movies - Now Direct TV basis much of its existence on sports, particularly its exclusive contract with the NFL (Sunday Ticket)
What is the most important, influential form of media?
TV
The NBA faced a threat from what?
The ABA - featured fast breaks, street-ball flair, and Dr. J
What is the basic challenge to globalization?
The close circuit model - team names give the impression that teams represent certain geographic communities
Most-watched event in sports on global perspective
World Cup
What was the first superstation on cable?
WTBS (Braves coverage)
Who starts the first sports section in a newspaper?
William Randolph Hearst
What is the number one skill in sport media field unless you're going into video production?
Writing
Products of sports programing culminate in what?
a "mega-event" e.g.: Super Bowl, World Series, CFB Playoffs
What is at the core of various careers in sport communication
ability to communicate with key audiences
What sport is more regional than other sports and always has been?
baseball
In its early days, pro football was seen as a __________ sport.
blue collar
examples of quasi-criminal violence
cheap shots, late hits, sucker punches, hitting below the waist in boxing
Historically, the top media job in the world.
columnist (now different because everyone has a take)
brutal body contact
common in sport, most accepted by players, coaches and praised by media as part of the game
Define: Mass
communicating with more than one person, often a large audience
Define: Medium
communication through multiple forms and through different means
Modern era _____ of media entities provides opportunities for adaptable people with strong skill sets
convergence
Media managers filter information, often to reinforce ______ and _______ in society at that time.
dominant and mainstream ideologies
What helps sell cable and satellite subscriptions?
exclusive coverage of sports
Howard Cosell significance
first TV sportscaster star - Monday Night Football
Cincinnati Red Stockings
first open salaried team in 1869
The evolution of TV helped make what sport our nation's game?
football
What is the world's most popular sport on TV?
futbol/soccer
Commercialization (in sport)
has clearly inspired, at least in some cultures, a promotional and heroic rhetoric that presents images of revenge, retaliation, hate, hostility, intimidation, aggression, violence, domination and destruction.
Criminal violence
historically meant violence that occurred away from the field/court, but increasingly on-field ac, both civil and sometimes criminal
Careers in sport communication fall into 5 major areas
management, mass media, support services, entertainment, other
The vast majority of sports you see on TV are?
money-making ventures
Most people who break news do or did work for _______.
newspapers
Traditional mediums of mass communication
print, broadcast
Order of media evolution
print, radio, television, internet, social media
The symbiotic relationship between sport and mass media is most evident in ________.
pro sports
The development of what two things allowed for extensive print coverage of sport in the 1850s-70s?
professional play and standardized rules and statistics
In capitalist societies, the dominant media interest is usually _____.
profit-making
Type of violence widely criticized by media?
quasi-criminal violence
What sport is more popular now that there are widescreen TVs
soccer
There are more jobs in this area of sport media than others
sport publishing and print communication
The NBA prefers to market ...
superstars rather than teams
Federal regulations on television limited what?
the number of broadcast stations based on public interest
What is violence?
the use of excessive physical force, which causes or has the potential to cause harm or destruction
North American sports will remain limited if?
their "representativeness" remains within US borders
Principles of sports journalism
truthfulness, accuracy and credibility, objectivity and independence
borderline violence
violate the rules of a sport, but are still mostly accepted within the sport as part of the game. however still often generate retaliation by opponent. acceptance in many sports is waning
Community identity
was important to the development of pro leagues, but serves as a barrier to global sports
