Mass Communication Process
The World Wide Leader in Sports
In the years prior to 1979, the way people in the United States obtained information about sports was through either the daily newspaper, segments on the news, or just being at the game. However though on September 7th, 1979 all of that would forever change as a new TV channel would debut. Entertainment and Sports Programing Network, ESPN, would become the first TV channel dedicated as an all sports channel. They dubbed it as “If you love sports…if you really love sports, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to sports heaven.”
Since its initial launch ESPN has grown to become one of the most successful TV channels/companies out there. Over that time ESPN has been able to become the face of North American sports and all around the world. While they have enjoyed the highest of highs over the past ten plus years and counting they haven’t been able to avoid controversy and competition from other competitors.
Over the course of the years, ESPN has been very successful in creating a strong brand identity. ESPN has been able to create an identity of that if you want sports coverage, 24/7 365, then we are your one stop shop for it. However in order for ESPN to have this identity they have to have coverage of specific sports that make people want to tune in on a consistent basis. Two sports that have helped in achieving it are the NFL and NBA. ESPN has TV contractual rights that allow them to broadcast games for each sport live or be allowed to showcase footage of all that nights’ action on their weekly shows. Let’s look back to summer of 2010 when LeBron James made the infamous decision of leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers and deciding to join the Miami Heat.
While much sp...
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...Time. Time Inc., 08 July. 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
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Olhmeyer, Don. “The ‘Decision’ Dilemma.” ESPN.com. ESPN., 21 July. 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Ourand, John. “Fox Sports 1 Execs like Trends at FS1.” SportsBusiness Daily. American City Business Journals., 03 Mar. 2014. Web. 09. Apr. 2014.
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Wyshynski, Greg. “Why ESPN Doesn’t Cover Hockey.” Yahoo Sports. Yahoo., 03 May. 2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Related Posts of "Barry Bonds Stats, News, Photos - San Francisco Giants - ESPN. " ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. 2007. The 'Secondary' of the ' Web. The Web.
ESPN.com. The. ESPN Internet Ventures, 1 Jan. 2008. Web. The Web. The Web.
The NCAA needs to find a way to have its athletes profit off their play. With the NCAA still keeping the rule on banning athletes from profits, problems will keep occurring every season. The NCAA has shown that if an athlete dares try and profit off of anything while in college, the athlete and the university will be in serious trouble. If problems keep occurring and scandals keep happening, we can expect a change in NCAA rules in the very near future in favor for the student-athletes.
However, the discrepancy in media coverage is getting better with time. There is a realization of the importance of balanced attention with regard to gender in sports programs. Therefore, there are increased efforts to ensure that several sport programs show women participating in games. This will lead to a better perception of sports by girls. Eventually, girls will change their attitude about sports.
Luzer, Daniel. "College Guide: The Profit in College Sports." The Washington Monthly. N.p., 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
Frantz, Chris. "Timeline: Women in Sports." Infoplease/Pearson Education,, 2007. Web. Lombardo, John. "New President Aims to Widen WNBA’s Fan Base." SportsBusiness Daily, 30 May 2011..
...ws. July 1, 1996: 38+. Sports. Eleanor Goldstein. Vol. 5. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1996. Art. 13.
In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society. Within sports heroes are made, goals are set and dreams are lived. The media makes all these things possible by creating publicity for the rising stars of today. Within society today, the media has downplayed the role of the woman within sports. When the American people think of women in sports, they think of ice skating, field hockey and diving. People don’t recognize that women have the potential to play any sport that a Man can play, with equal skill, if not better.
Girls are told to stay indoors and play with their dolls or bake, while boys are encouraged to go outdoors, get dirty, and be adventurous. Wade and Ferree also state “sports are squarely on the masculine side of the gender binary” (Wade and Ferree, 174). Hence, we are brought up with the understanding that playing and talking about sports is a boy’s thing, which further promotes the notion that sports are a very masculine thing. Furthermore, as playing sports is competitive and is a way to show excellence, young boys are considered as “real boys” and “real men” later on. However, when boys do not talk about or play sports, they are considered feminine or “not real men.” The same rule applies for young girls. If young girls are too into sports, they are considered to be “too masculine.” This is true for me too. When I was younger, I was told to not play too much outdoors and to behave “like a girl.” The stigma that only boys should be allowed to play sports and it is not a feminine thing needs to be erased for us to welcome a more gender-equal
Crafting the national pastime's image: The history of major league baseball public relations William B Anderson. Journalism and Communication Monographs. Columbia: Spring 2003. Vol. 5, Iss. 1; pg. 5
Michael McCarthy. “BCS cable connection complete as ESPN lands Rose Bowl.” USA Today, June 13, 2009.
Most people watch some form of sports, whether it be the Olympics or the highlights on ESPN. The NBA and NHL playoffs are underway and it seems to be the only news on ESPN. There is almost no coverage of the WNBA playoffs or any female athletics. Tennis is one of the only big sports on ESPN for women. While during the Olympics, the coverage seems to be non-stop and close to equal.
" ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 25 Apr. 2011.
ESPN also likes to give the viewer a little bit of knowledge about the players of a particular game. Most of these interviews or stories are extremely short and really, a viewer gains no real amount of knowledge. The viewer must sit back and hear what the producers of the show want them to hear. There is no choice of whether the viewer watches highlights of baseball or gets the story about Sarah Hughes and how she injured her leg muscle. The website www.msn.espn.go.com gives viewers another look at a lot of the same stories as the television show, but it offers something more.... ...
Whether its baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, or tennis, sports is seen all over the world as a representation of one’s pride for their city, country, and even continent. Sports is something that is valued world-wide which has the ability to bring communities together and create different meanings, beliefs and practices between individuals. Although many people may perceive sports to have a significant meaning within our lives, it can also have the ability to separate people through gender inequalities which can also be represented negatively throughout the media. This essay will attempt to prove how gender is constructed in the sports culture while focusing on female athletes and their acceptance in today’s society.