Sports and Media

Sports Teams or Sports Companies

* People often over look capitalism in sports because they correlate it with their own experience with sports, which is typically capitalism-free

* Players getting traded or cut is equivalent to a firm hiring or firing someone

Sports are a Business

*"Athletes too have realized that it is all more than a game, and they have unionized in the team sports, like much of the rest of working class America." (Rosner & Shropshire, 2004).

* Rosner and Shropshire go on to explain that the highest paid union members are those involved in professional sports teams

Jimmy Butler leaving the 76ers was a business decision for Jimmy

* Endorsements play a large role in sports, for example the NBA is sponsored by Nike, but since Michael Jordan owns the Charlotte Hornets and Jordan Brand he is allowed to put the Jordan logo on the Hornet's jersey

The Culture of Sports

* Sports are so huge in America that there is a thought that high schools and colleges are focusing on sports more than education

* Sports are a huge part of American culture, where more people in the U.S. watch the Super Bowl than the presidential race (Macri, 2012).

Sports Culture in America

* People would rather watch a NFL game then see who is going to lead their country.

* Critics worry that intense fandom can lead to bad behavior in younger people, too.

* The biggest thing that critics have against sports culture in America is that concussions in football are becoming worse and worse

* People believe that there are other more enriching ideas other than sports

Sports Have Their Own Stories

Sports Have Stories

* Sports contain all types of stories. It can be a young superstar athlete, to the story surrounding the unique atmosphere of a baseball stadium. All sports carry a story, and they are told many different ways.

* A story can be a single play in a football game, or an entire 7 Game NBA Finals series. These moments are what make sports stories so unique and loved.

* One of the biggest aspics of a sports story is drama. The drama or excitement of the particular story is what draws people in even more.

Sports Reflect Surrounding Culture

Tom Brady signed a new contract for $50 million guaranteed(BostonCBS).

Sports Reflect Culture

* One of the biggest cultural connections to sports is money. We always focus on the cost or worth of something, and this is directly related to sports and a players ability to perform. The better the player, the higher he/she is payed.

* Another big cultural aspect of sports is viewership with genders. Women tend to be viewed playing sports less than men, which in turn gives women athletes less money than men.

*We also tend to correlate certain sports with certain areas. For example, NASCAR is mainly more famous in blue collar areas, while golf or tennis is fit for higher end areas

Sports are a Visual Text

- The human experiences sports through eyes, just like how we read listen about sports.

- A sports team player wears apparel relating to their team. An example being the team manager or player wearing the team logo.

- Stadiums, websites, and scoreboards are visual text examples also.

- People can "see" and "watch"sports in a multitude of ways!

- Sports have a grammar in the sense of game rules and how athletes perform.

The grammar of tennis can be described by the lines and rules.

The various country flags at the 2008 Olympics.

Sports Have Symbols

- Symbols in sports play a large role. For example, the Washington Redskins logo symbolizes a type of political correctness.

- The name is considered racist for many Native Americans and non-Natives.

- As stated in the Business Insider article, "Other prominent figures in football such as Mike Holmgren and Richard Sherman have also criticized the name."

- It symbolizes a negative reputation since the team's hometown is DC, the nation's capital.

-In the Olympics, countries use their flags, medals, and podiums to symbolize national and athletic dominance

- As stated in the textbook, "What's more, athletes have themselves come to symbolize certain values". Tiger Woods won 14 majors in golf and raised millions of dollars for his foundation.

Tiger Woods, a notable symbol in the sport of golf.

References

1. Rosner, S. & Shropshire, K. (2004, August 25). The Business of Sports. UPenn. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-business-of-sports/

2. Macri, K. (2012). Not Just a Game: Sport and Society in America. InquiriesJournal. http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1664/not-just-a-game-sport-and-society-in-the-united-states

References

3. CBS Boston. “Details Emerge On Tom Brady's Contract With Buccaneers.” CBS Boston, CBS Boston, 20 Mar. 2020, boston.cbslocal.com/2020/03/20/details-emerge-on-tom-bradys-contract-with-buccaneers/.

4. Wiggins, Brandon. “Former Washington Redskins Defensive Tackle Calls the Team's Logo Racist after Signing with the Giants.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 3 May 2018, www.businessinsider.com/former-washington-redskins-calls-the-teams-logo-racist-2018-5.