sports comm midterm

sport

a repeatable, regulated, physical contest producing a clear winner

communication learned through sport

basic messaging, identity, politics, finance

basic messaging

sports can be an excellent avenue for messaging in many ways

identify

sports are a part of your identity

politics

sports play a role in politics

finance

sport is a big business in total worth about $83 billion

steps of sport participation

casual play, intramural, amateur athletics, professional

casual play

playing a sport for fun, not necessarily organized in any way, not solely done by children

intramural

introduction to organized sports, children start this early, leads to higher grades, lower dropout rates, higher college attendance, higher college graduation rates

amateur athletics

chosen to participate solely for the love of the game, once deemed the “true” athlete because they did it for the love of it

professional athletics

some athletes, make a lot, many make much less, income usually depends on marketability of personality/sport, athlete welfare of less concern to many people in pro sports

factors influencing continuing to play sports

personality characteristics, resources, interactions with close contacts, athletic ability

personality characteristic

is player active, passive, competitive, etc

resources

player’s access to coaching, fields, equipment, etc

interactions with close contacts

player’s family’s relationships to sports

athletic ability

is a player good/has potential to develop into a good player

sports media entities

visibility jobs, production jobs, hybrids

visibility jobs

focus on sports visibility, media exposure, and public relations, helps build public recognition and fan engagement

visibility jobs examples

anchor, play-by-play announcer, color announcer, sideline reporter, radio hosts, print reporters, feature columnists

production jobs

involved in creating, coordinating, technical execution, and managing of live game broadcasts, studio shows, digital highlights, and team promotional content, fewer people seek out these jobs

production jobs examples

production assistant, studio/remote producer, technical director, audio and graphics operators, broadcast/systems engineer

hybrid jobs

roles that combine responsibilities from two or more traditionally distinct departments

hybrid jobs examples

sports business analyst, high-performance coordinator, digital content and fan engagement strategist, brand strategy director

sports fans

firsthand supporter, home-dwelling devotee, sports social addicts, virtual world aficionados

firsthand supporter

season ticket holder, wants to be in person

home-dwelling devotee

generally wants to stay home to watch

sports social addicts

those that find watching with friends is the best

virtual world aficionados

prefer to take part online, watch, and create content

fan related categories

fair-weather, die-hard, social fan, focused fan, dysfunctional fan

fair-weather fan

person who only supports or pays attention to a team when it is winning or playing well, and loses interest when the team struggles

die-hard fan

deep emotional investment in a team/sport, treating their fandom as a core part of their identity rather than a casual pastime

social fan

has little affiliation with the team, but looks at experience as a socializing opportunity (close to fair-weather fans)

focused fan

middle of the spectrum, affiliation with teams has more to do with a larger affiliation (like location)

dysfunctional fan

someone that is overly aggressive toward opposing teams, fans, or officials (sometimes this is a point of pride in a fanbase)

fan motivations

aesthetic beauty, achievement, drama, escape, knowledge, social connection

aesthetic beauty motivator

drawn to a sport because you appreciate the skill

achievement motivator

internal sense of accomplishment that comes from team’s success

drama motivator

thrill obtained from key matchups, tight games, etc

escape motivator

following a team to escape the day-to-day life

knowledge motivator

monitoring the sport to learn more about it

social connection motivator

ability the sport gives us to relate to others

merchandise

outward display of social identity, source of social support, boast or celebration

why people purchase merchandise

overall team satisfaction, media exposure, on-field performance, strength of brand, local market dynamics, buyer’s availability to pay

sources of revenue

ticket sales, merchandise, sponsorships and endorsements, broadcasting rights

ticket sales

single game, season (most profitable), promotional, group, series, secondary sales

sponsorships and endorsements

largest revenue category, increase brand image, impact, recognition, credibility, and profits

broadcasting rights

sale of broadcast games, leagues often partner with various media, different leagues are worth more/less

social media as an asset

second screen use, audience building, revenue generation, engagement and social influence

sports management elements

sports economics, sports marketing, advertising, sports branding, sports law

sports economics

city-stadium agreements, impact of sports on local business, travel and tourism, sports betting

sports marketing

promotional efforts in sports

advertising in sports

“paying” for attention, falls under the marketing umbrella

sports branding

managing the brand

sports law

right of publicity, unlawful to use someone’s NIL without permission, defamation, title IX

title IX

no person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation/denied the benefits of/or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance

naming practices

female athletes are more likely to be known by first name, male athletes are more likely to be known by last name

gender marking

the practice of treating men’s sports as the default standard, while explicitly labeling women’s sports with gender-specific descriptors

traditional media

TV, radio, magazines, newspapers

print media

covers traditional physical newspapers, magazines, and special publications dedicated to athletic news, event analysis, and photography

radio media

most likely to create parasocial relationships, used to be focused on live sports, now more focused on talk and analysis, speculation, and fan feedback

television media

tv stations have strong rights over many shows, can be used to buy other stations, possibilities of other types of programs lead to competition on streaming services

history of race in sports

privileges one race over the complete exclusion of others, history of segregated leagues, human rights activism

jack johnson

first black heavyweight boxing champion (1908)

jesse owens

four gold medals at 1936 olympics (first american to achieve this)

jackie robinson

first black MLB player in 1947 (won rookie of the year, MVP in 1949)

racism and media expose

“whiteness,” enforced dress codes, underrepresentation of minorities, minority athletes are more likely to be depicted violently, most coaches and announcers are white

exemplification theory

explains how people judge a large, complex population/issue/trend based on a few specific examples rater than abstract statistics

exemplification

you are given exemplars in life that help you determine what you believe to be the true total of some occurrence

sports, nationalism, and globalization

national identity can be built through sport, sports/teams want national recognition, patriotic appeals (us vs them attitudes)

sports language used in politics

home run, long shot, frontrunner, etc, use of these terms may give a “fan” mindset to politics, which can lead to blindly following the politician’s leadership without questioning

sport socialization

learning occurs through exposure to sport, learning the sport/rules, reinforcement received from role models, peers, parents, and coaches

sports socialization: parental benefits

change in parent behavior/routine, cognition, affect, familial relationships

cognition

stronger self-awareness, creating new goals, gaining knowledge

affect

emotional connection, pride

sports socialization: child’s benefits

competitive environment, experience winning and losing, lessons about sportsmanship, teamwork, adversity, making friends, physical activity

young athlete motivations for participation

affiliation, achievement, release, power, independence

sport socialization: family benefits

higher level of family resilience through learning cooperation skills

affiliation

being part of a team/something bigger than themselves

achievement

to achieve success or learn new skills

release

avenue for release of energy or aggressive behavior

independence

free from anxiety or pressure

sport socialization: parental challenges

considerable expense of time and money (money more challenging than time cost)

sport socialization: child challenges

pressure from emphasis on winning, detracts from time spent on academics, intensity from coaches and parents

sport outcomes and coaching

coaches put more pressure on athletes to win and less focus on development, more focus on winning puts pressure on coaches

positive coaching

athlete self-efficacy and motivation are highly correlated with positive coach behavior, athletes report greater satisfaction when involved in decisions about training

esteem messages

emphasize athlete’s ability to be successful, highlight features about ability that could improve success, maintain teammate relationships

emotional support

emphasis on athlete well-being beyond the sport, messages that praise effort, matching coaching style to athlete personality

team cohesion

goal is for all members to feel as if they are part of the team

cohesion

a sense of belonging/morale individuals experience as a function of their team membership

task cohesion

desire to achieve group’s goals

social cohesion

desire to develop and maintain relationships

coaches deterring cohesion

playing favorites, poor communication, yelling at athletes, benching for poor performance

coaches promoting cohesion

allowing team to laugh together, emphasizing team one “me,” coach respects all opponents, encourages off-field connections, addresses team conflicts

leadership styles

autocratic, democratic, social support, positive feedback, training and instruction

autocratic

coach makes final decision, direct control (generally more preferred at college and professional levels)

democratic

coach encourages participation from team on decision-making

social support

allows coach to demonstrate care for athletes

positive feedback

coach provides constructive statements for positive reinforcement (preferred by athletes with limited performance expectations)