Media's Effects on Sports

Media’s Effects on Sports

Sporting events generated approximately $10.9 billion in advertising in 2011, and the biggest advertisers made up an astounding 26% of the total spent. The total time sporting events were aired across national television reached 42,500 hours in 2011, a 5% increase from 2010. The increased coverage of sporting events is directly related to the increased amount of money spent on advertisement.

Whenever the financial relationship between two different industries, in this case sports and the media, there is going to exist some complex relationships that will not always be apparent to the viewers. Since sports as a whole are directly influenced by the income generated by the media, the media can, in response, have a very significant impact on the social perception of sports. Since the overall objective of the media is to generate the most income possible, there is some concern as to whether their representation of sports actually mirrors reality, or if the media’s coverage of sports is a construction of their alternative motives.

The media has obviously helped sporting organization in terms of improving their overall coverage, but sports have also lost a good amount of control over their destiny and activities. The tradeoff that sporting organization make is that they lose control of some of the details such as date, time, and the choosing of a venue. The media determines these details based on their economic interests and what will generate the most viewers. Even something as prominent and huge as the World Cup is influenced by media preferences. The tournament now involves more teams and covers a longer time span, which is a direct influence of the relationship between media and sport.

The increased control that the media has had on sports means that they are often in a position to manipulate and dictate the characteristics of sports. Some of the media’s influences include creating new competitions, leagues, and events that they believe with improve their bottom line. Even specific details of the sports itself are manipulated to increase coverage. Rules and playing conditions have often been modified in some way as a direct result of the media. Team uniforms and playing gear have also been adjusted in certain ways to increase popularity. Team equipment, such as baseball bats and the types of balls used for soccer, have also been played around with by the media to see what will generate the most exciting and high scoring games. Viewers are much more likely to watch a sporting event that is high scoring and exciting, and the media has found ways to change the dynamics of certain sports to appeal to the fans.

This is not a revolutionary discovery by the media. Viewers are much more likely to view material that they enjoy and that is consistent with what they enjoyed watching in the past. Arthur Raney, in his article Why We Watch and Enjoy Mediated Sports, opens with an explanation of how viewers seek to avoid material that is not consistent with their beliefs, a phenomenon known as selective exposure. Sporting events are not different in that many viewers are seeking to reconfirm something they have seen in the past that they have enjoyed viewing. It is the media’s belief that it is up to them, and not the sporting organizations themselves, to control the coverage and presentation of sports in a way that appeals to the viewers and fans. One of the main satisfactions that fans get by viewing mediated sporting event is through their support for one team or another. Even if fans may feel negative feelings if they view the team they support lose, they still gain the initial satisfaction of engaging in the excitement and thrill of the game.

Since fans have such an emotional attachment to the thrill of the game, the media has taken it upon them to continue to deliver a spectacle that will have fans returning for chance to replicate the same feelings they experienced in the past. Even the colors and designs of the uniforms can add to the spectacle and drama of the event. New stadiums have been built to involve extensive advertising opportunities. Sports have pretty much evolved into a product that can be manufactured and sold. Sport organizations are on board with this relationship with the media and often make the changes that are requested. English soccer, for example, was once strictly a Saturday afternoon ritual, but a request from television companies for more games to fill their schedules has now made it an almost daily event.

Changes are also often made to improve interest when a sport has been struggling in terms of viewership.  A number of female sports now have the athletes wearing tighter fitting clothing. Rules changes to hockey have been made to speed up the play of the game. Lots of times the schedule of the games are much more fitting for the media than the athletes themselves. It is an interesting dynamic that the very athletes that fans expect to perform at world class levels are compromised in their performance because the fans needs are put before the athlete. 

So the biggest concern is whether or not the media should have such a claim to the fate of sporting events. Overall, the media is attempting to create a spectacle that is more exciting and engaging for the viewer, but whether or not this compromise is good for the sports themselves seem to be questionable. Athletes are some of the most effected by the media’s influence since their needs are often the ones compromised when making these decisions.

Sources

Stead, David. "Chapter 10." Sport and Society: A Student Introduction. London: Sage Publications, 2003. N. pag. Print.

State of the Media: 2011 Year in Sports. N.p.: Nielson, 2012. Print.

Raney, Arthur A., and Jennings Bryant. "Why We Watch and Enjoy Mediated Sports." Handbook of Sports and Media. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 2006. N. pag. Print.

Jim, Whiskey. "The Media and Sports." CBS Sports. N.p., 17th Feb. 2009. Web.