Sport Media Nexus Overview

Media and Sports Overview

• Muhammad Zain Zafar is a student specializing in sports and entertainment management, having studied at various universities.
• The course explores the role of media in sports, focusing on the Sport Media Nexus, its drivers, and impact.
• Topics explored include technology, commercialization, convergence, globalization, and the interplay between sports and media.

Drivers of the Sport Media Nexus

• Technology: Transition from newspapers to radio, television to the internet. Technology has shifted how information about sports is accessed and spread. Access and influence of individuals/organizations also are a key aspect.
• Commercialization: Sports have become commercialized since at least the 1960's in the US, and more broadly in other countries later. This includes athlete products, teams, commodities, and businesses. Sports organizations are driven by revenue from various sources like game-day revenue and broadcast/sponsorship revenue.
• Convergence: Media companies often own multiple platforms (TV channels, websites, magazines). This consolidation makes distributing sports content and advertising more efficient. Large corporations (Disney, News Corp) wield significant influence in which sports or content are highlighted.
• Globalization: The spread of sports (e.g., the Olympics, FIFA World Cup) and sport culture is facilitated by media coverage. The way that media covers sports varies by region/country.

Media Coverage of Specific Events/Issues

• Doping Scandals (Lance Armstrong): The media's coverage of Lance Armstrong's career illustrates how media can shape public opinion, shift perceptions of athletes, and influence regulations. Students are expected to analyze how journalists reported and crafted the narrative surrounding doping and sports.
• Esports: Traditional and digital media have contributed to the rise of esports. Media strategies, coverage, viewership, and the portrayal of esports athletes are key topics for analysis.
• Super Bowl: Media strategies, viewership stats, social media campaigns, halftime controversies, and media rights deals are examined in relation to the commercialization of sports.
• LGBTQ+ Issues in Sports: The study of media coverage of LGBQT+ issues in sports is used to analyze how the media influences bias, stereotypes or portrayals.
• Media and Athlete Branding: How social media facilitates branding, marketing, influencer partnerships in sports is also included. Media outlets impact perception here as well.
• Olympics: The impact of global media coverage on Olympic events, and differences in various countries is a significant focus.
• Youth Participation in Sports: Media coverage impacts youth perceptions and the trend toward future involvement in sports and participation.
• Impact on Athlete Mental Health: How sports media impacts the mental health of athletes is another core area of focus.

Additional Information

• Over 5 billion people engaged with FIFA World Cup 2022 tournament content, highlighting sports' media reach.
• Media outlets use broadcasting rights and various other technologies to cover and broadcast sports events globally.
• Media influences success of sports organizations and athletes by driving viewership, creating star athletes, driving revenue of sports related products through various promotional campaigns.
• Students will identify how different types of content influence success of athletes, teams, and sports culture through analysis of specific events or cases.