Spectators, Media, and Sports: An Overview

• Study notes on types of spectators, the effects of media on sports, the nature of sports leagues, values in sports, and the role of media and commercialization.

Types of Spectators and Socio-Demographics

• Spectator types vary based on socio-demographic criteria.
• Pure spectators attend events.
• Supporters are avid fans of a team, akin to a religion.
• Ultra fans attempt to distract the opposing team.
• Hooligans are extra passionate fans.

Socio-Demographics of Spectators

• Factors such as social class, origin/country, sex, and age affect sports viewership.
• Sports like tennis, cricket, polo, and fencing are associated with aristocracy and wealth.

Effects of Media on Sports

• Media aims to generate revenue.
• Focusing on younger audiences ensures long-term viewership.
• Differences exist between small and large competitions; media coverage is based on revenue.
• Women watch sports because men decide what to watch at home.
• TV targets young men with cheerleaders.
• Image is leveraged to advance causes, and is thus valuable
• Evening matches attract larger audiences.
• Rules are sometimes adjusted to increase spectator interest.
• Television has significantly altered the sports world.

Spectator Perception

• Music, words, and images are used to create special effects.
• Players are made popular through media coverage.
• The media coverage of sports is criticized.
• Countries invest heavily in the media coverage of sports.

Sports Products

• Various forms of "sports products" exist.
• These include participation, spectacle (media sport), and equipment and clothing.
• Promotional items, land, and buildings are offered.
• Sports services like equipment maintenance are provided.
• Recreational activities, event management, media, and associated products are available.

Closed vs. Open Leagues

• The bulk of the money is within the industry, for example, the snowmobile industry in the United States is worth 26 billion, while, in Canada its worth 8 billion.
• This considers the nature of closed and open leagues.
• Closed leagues do not have promotion and relegation between divisions, maintaining constant clubs.
• In closed leagues, a team is a franchise owned by a company, increasing in value.
• Closed leagues have regulations to maintain match interest, benefiting wealthy teams.
• Open leagues allow promotion and relegation based on performance, and club composition can vary slightly each season.
• Open leagues accept new clubs based on performance.
• Open league matches remain interesting without regulation.
• There are conflicts between large pro-market clubs and small clubs.

Values Transmitted by Sports

• Sports promote fair play and sportsmanship: ethics, respect, inclusion, and integrity.
• Discipline and hard work lead to training, sacrifice, and perseverance.
• Excellence and performance include competition, meritocracy, self-improvement, progress, and materialism.
• Teamwork and solidarity require cooperation, effort, loyalty, and local/national pride.

Sociological Theories Applied to Sports

• Functionalism reinforces common values and social cohesion.
• Functionalism socializes, connects individuals, and motivates societal goals.
• Functionalism protects social order from external disruptions.
• Conflict theory shows the interests of dominant groups through cultural hegemony.
• Conflict theory distracts from economic inequality and controls society.
• Conflict theory replicates social inequality, particularly in elite sports access.
• Critical theory transforms culture and social relations.
• Critical theory is instrumental in social movements.
• Feminist theory highlights masculine values like competition.
• Feminist theory relegates qualities like kindness to the background.
• Achieving gender equality requires changing dominant values.
• Symbolic interactionism relies on values that depend on social experiences and interactions.

Additional Points on Values

• Values evolve with social groups and contexts.
• Values are communicated through rituals, bodies, and media.

The Nature of Sports Entertainment

• Understanding the nature of sports as entertainment and what is actually sold.
• Sports present an idealized image of society as pure and protected.
• Sports unite athletes and spectators, creating a interdependent group within reserved spaces.
• The media forms a natural alliance with sports, serving to inform, critique, and entertain a broad target audience.
• Sports include popular culture and has occasional tension between cultural and financial objectives.
• Televised sports generate pre-match excitement.
• Success, bravery, and popularity are shown before, during, and after events.

Characteristics of Sports

• Narrative and theme of the "champion" is very important
• There is underperformance for marginalized groups.
• There is potential for rallying heterogeneous populations and some uncertainty, including the possibility of cheating.
• Sports are a brief reflection of bodies, youth, beauty, drama, and emotion.

Criticisms of the Media Coverage of Sports

• An argument can be made that media coverage acts as a tool of manipulation.
• Media coverage may hide the government's nature, providing a positive image.
• Media coverage is a political diversion from problems.
• Media coverage is mobilization for political goals.
• Sports include critical and progressive teams.
• Sports audience is not easily manipulated, with the ability to discern.
• Not all players are right-leaning.
• Sports pacify customs and aid in coexisting.

Sports and Standard Economics

• Sports cannot function under normal economic rules, as a cartel is essential.
• Salary caps, drafts, and regulation are needed to balance competition.
• There is a vague economic impact with difficulty separating gains and losses.
• Public investments are crucial for team viability.
• Major events are often costly, especially ambitious ones.

Impacts on Players

• The different effects on players, along with the advantages and disadvantages of closed vs. open leagues.

Closed Leagues

• Benefits include controlled costs with salary caps, equity due to the draft system, economic stability through unions, and equitable profit sharing.
• Disadvantages include lower salaries
• Lower mobility for players
• Very low salaries for minor league players
• Constant tension between players and teams.

Open Leagues

• Benefits include strong competition between teams, thus stimulating performance, competition for the best players to increase salaries, and free agents offering players more power.
• Disadvantages include a negative impact on average players due to lower salaries.

Sports Business

• There is an aggressive global market, that may include questionable practices.
• Funding is uneven, and autonomous players are supported by the non-autonomous.

Sports Values

• The discussion of contradictory sports values and realities.
• Winning at all costs vs. fair play
• There is doping, cheating, and unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Inclusivity vs. discrimination
• There are pay gaps between men and women and lack of accessibility.
• Individualism vs. collectivism: star athletes vs. team success.
• Meritocracy vs. structural barriers: unequal socio-economic access.
• Loyalty vs. commercialization of talent
• National symbols change countries for financial reasons.
• Fans value loyalty to local teams, but trades change very often.

Sports and Society

• How sport acts as a mirror of social values and evolves with society.
• The marathon of Boston (pre-1972) reflected sexist behaviors.
• Pay gaps show persistent inequalities.
• Exclusion of trans/intersexes calls attention to gender issues.
• Sports can be a force for social change.
• Colin Kaepernick protested against racism and police violence in the NFL.
• The Tokyo Olympics 2021 promoted the inclusion of transgender athletes.
• The Mexico Olympics 1968 raised fists to denounce racial inequality.

Medias Role

• The role of media and commercialization in reinforcing or distorting values.

Media

• Reinforces values through sportsmanship, discipline, excellence, teamwork, and effort.
• Distorts values emphasizing sensationalism, "starification", materialism, and amplified internal conflicts.
• Commercialization reinforces values through team sponsorships.
• Commercialization distorts values through profit, propaganda, and politics.