Sports Media

Sports of old were merely competitive activities rooted in heroism and romanticism. Sports activities today, however, have no such innocence or simplicity. Currently in America, the activities that make up our sports culture is not only the competitive events themselves but the processes and issues that underlie and surround them. Entwined in our sports culture is the giant business of mass broadcasting. Indeed, sports and the media go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly, like Mickey and Minnie, Darth Vader and Luke. They are intertwined and depend on each other to continue to grow. Sports media includes television, radio, magazines, newspapers, books, films, and, now, most importantly, social media devices provided by the Internet. Sports media has had it advantages and its disadvantages and its truths and falsehoods in the world of sports culture.

Sports and media have benefited each other in the marketplace. While these benefits have had many positive effects, there have also been some negative or distorted views. A negative connotation is felt when the media shapes its viewers’ perception of athletes by depicting them negatively or unappreciated based on race or gender stereotypes. This negativity can be seen when the media attempts to distort the truth or avoid complete coverage. The broadcasting industry has given a biased view of athletes based on their gender or their race. One such group that the media tends to misrepresent is female athletes. Women athletes tend to get less coverage in the media than men do. Many times a commentary given about women athletes is demeaning or has sexual overtures to it. Women athletes are given credit and are only considered noteworthy because of their attractiveness...

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Works Cited

Cashmore, Ellis. Sports Culture: An A-Z Guide. London: Routledge, 2000. Print.

Jacobson, Robert. Sports in America: Recreation, Business, Education, and Controversy. Detroit, Mi.: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.

Rein, Kotler I., and B. Shields. "The Future of Sports Media." The Futurist 41.1: 40-43. ProQuest. Web. 10 Feb. 2012.

Remember the Titans. Dir. Boaz Yakin. 2000. Film.

Sharma, Shailendra. "Media's Effect on Perceptions of Athletes' Gender and Race." The Sport Digest. 2002. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Sharma, Shailendra. "Media's Effect on Perceptions of Athletes' Gender and Race." The Sport Digest 2.9 (2002). Print.

"Social Media." Telephone interview. 10 Feb. 2012.

Toolen, Tim Toole. "Hero Worship of Jocks Rewinds the Past." The Spiritual Herald. Eastern Tsalagi Publishing Company, May 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.