1. Could They Survive Without Each Other?
SPORTS IN SOCIETY: SOCIOLOGICAL ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES
CHAPTER 12
SPORTS AND THE MEDIA:
Could They Survive Without Each Other?
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

2. Characteristics of the Media
Print media: words and images on paper
Newspapers, magazines and fanzines, books, catalogues, event programs, trading cards
Electronic media: words, commentary, and images transmitted by audio and/or video devices and technologies
Radio, television, film, video games, the internet and online publications
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

3. The Media Provide Information Interpretation Entertainment
Opportunities for interactivity
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

4. ‘re-presented’ by those who control media organisations
Media Content
Media content is always edited and
‘re-presented’ by those who control media organisations
Editing decisions are based on one or more of these goals:
making profits
shaping values
providing a public service
building artistic and technical reputations
expressing self.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

5. Media and Power consumerism individualism competition class inequality
The media often serve the interests of those with power and wealth in society
As corporate control of media has become more concentrated, media content highlights:
consumerism
individualism
competition
class inequality
as natural and necessary in society.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

6. What If . . .
All prime-time TV programs were sponsored by environmental groups, Indigenous organisations, labour organisations or women’s groups?
Wouldn’t we ask questions about the content of those programs, and ask why we see what we see and why we hear what we hear?
99% of all sports programming in the media was sponsored by capitalist corporations?
Shouldn’t we ask questions about the content of that programming, whose interests it serves, and why we see and hear what we do?
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

7. New Media and Sports The internet:
extends and radically changes (potentially) our connections with the world
is not limited to sequential programming
enables each of us to be the ‘editors’ of our own media experiences, if we wish
gives us the potential to create our own sports realities and experiences as spectators and virtual competitors.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

8. Video Games and Virtual Sports
Research is needed to help answer questions such as:
What are the dynamics of playing video sports games and virtual sports, and how do they differ from other sports-related experiences?
How are video sports game experiences linked with other sports experiences?
What ideological themes are structured into the images and actions in video sports games?
Will virtual sports complement or replace sports as we know them today?
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

9. Video Games as Simulated Sports
The graphics and images in video games now come close to matching images in televised sports.
TV producers now use special filters to make the action in televised games look like video games.
Some competitors use video sports games to train.
Some children today are introduced to sports through video games.
Being good at playing video sports games is a source of status among many young people.
Playing sports video games provides regular social occasions for many people, especially young males.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

10. Do Sports Depend on the Media?
No, not when they are organised by and for the players themselves.
Yes, when they are organised as forms of commercial entertainment.
Media coverage attracts attention to sports and provides news of results.
Television coverage remains a key factor in the growth and expansion of commercial sports.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

11. PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

12. Have Commercial Sports Sold Out to the Media?
Probably not – for two reasons:
Sports are not shaped primarily by the media in general or TV in particular.
Sports are social constructions that emerge in connection with many social relationships.
The media, including TV, do not operate in a political and economic vacuum.
Media are regulated by government and market factors, which influence and set limits on media coverage and content.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

13. Do the Media Depend on Sports?
Most media do not depend on sports for content or sales.
Daily newspapers have depended on ‘sports sections’ to increase circulation and advertising revenues.
Many television companies have depended on sports to fill programming schedules, attract male viewers and the sponsors that want to reach them.
Many sports events have media audiences with clearly identifiable ‘demographics’.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

14. Trends in Televised Sports
Rights fees have escalated rapidly since the 1960s.
Sports programming has increased dramatically.
As more events are covered, ratings for some particular events have decreased.
Audience fragmentation has occurred.
Television companies use sports events to promote other programming.
Television companies are parts of conglomerates that now own teams, sports events and other businesses.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

15. Global Economic Factors in the Sports-Media Relationship
Global economic factors have intensified the sports-media relationship because transnational corporations need vehicles for developing:
global name recognition
global cultural legitimacy
global product familiarity
global ideological support for a way of life based on consumption, competition, individual achievement, and a focus on social status and material possessions.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

16. Alcohol and Tobacco Sponsorships
Corporations that sell alcohol and tobacco see sports as key vehicles for promoting their products in connection with activities that people define as healthy.
If these corporations cannot sponsor televised events, they put signage on people, equipment and facilities that are viewed during television coverage.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

17. Corporate Sponsorships and Gender Ideology
Decision-making power in large media corporations rests with many male executives who love sports.
The values and experiences of men are deeply embedded in the cultures of these corporations.
When sports emphasise competition, domination and achievement, many male executives feel that these are crucial factors in their companies.
This means they will pay large fees to hire coaches and athletes as ‘motivational’ speakers in their companies.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

18. Images and Narratives in Media Sports
Media coverage is constructed around specific themes and narratives:
Success themes
Emphasis on winners, losers and final scores.
Emphasis on big plays, big hits and sacrificing self for team success.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

19. Images and Narratives in Media Sports (cont.)
Masculinity and femininity themes
Coverage privileges men over women.
Heterosexuality is assumed; homosexuality is erased and ignored.
Coverage reproduces dominant ideas about manhood, but may challenge ideas about femininity.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

20. Images and Narratives in Media Sports (cont.)
Race and ethnicity themes
Racial ideology has influenced coverage of black athletes, especially males.
Whiteness is erased in coverage; it is assumed as the standard.
Nationalism is emphasised
‘We’/‘They’ distinctions are common.
Individualism is highlighted.
Aggression is glorified; competitors are presented as warriors.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

21. Media Impact on Sports-Related Behaviours
Active participation in sports
Some negative, some positive effects
Attendance at sports events
Media generally increase attendance at elite events, but may decrease attendance at local events
Gambling on sports
Media are indirectly linked to gambling
Internet may change this to a direct link
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

22. Experiences and Consequences of Consuming Media Sports
Research shows that:
Watching television sports is not a major activity in the lives of most adults.
Football ‘widows’ and men who just sit in front of the TV watching sports are not as common as many people think.
Men and women who live together often share the experience of watching sports.
Most partners in couples accommodate each other’s viewing habits over time.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd