Reflections on Communication and Sport

Abstract

In this essay, Michael Real reflects on why communication about sport is of cultural importance and worthy of critical study. The early part of the essay reflects on challenges faced in the development of the study of communication and sport and the author's involvement in that development. The author reflects on his choice to focus on spectacle and mega-events, such as media treatment of the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games. The essay traces significant influences and "schools" of critical approaches to communication and sport, from small beginnings in the 1970s through rapid expansion of topics and methods in the 1980s and since. Key historic contributions that have influenced research on communication and sport are examined along with conflicts about how to best approach this subject. The focus section of the essay assesses a number of broad theoretical lenses that have value in studying mediated sport's mega-events as spectacle. Considered here are a Geertz style approach to ritual analysis, Debord's society of the spectacle, and Roche's theory of mega-events. The essay closes with comment on the road ahead for scholarly research on communication and sport.

“Are Fans in the Stands an Afterthought?”: Sports Events, Decision-Aid Technologies, and the Television Match Official in Rugby Union

“…Academic research on the mediatisation of sport covers an array of subjects, including mega-events, gender, race and ethnicity, national identity, celebrity and stardom, fanship and audience experience, journalism and the digital age, and these studies can be seen across varying academic fields such as sport, events, media, journalism, communication, cultural studies and sociology (Cairns, 2015;Dashper et al, 2015;Frandsen, 2014;Hutchins & Rowe, 2012Lawrence & Crawford, 2019;Real, 2013;Skey et al, 2018;van Driel et al, 2019;Billings & Wenner, 2017). Sport has become a central component of popular culture and economic, political and public discourse and the institutions of media and sport have converged to form a media sports cultural complex of global proportions with television playing a central role as an 'agent of change' (Frandsen, 2014, p.525).…”

When the private sphere hides from the public sphere: The power struggle between Israeli national identity and football fandom

“…Over the years, Israelis have borne witness to a process of transitioning from seeing the match at the actual stadium to watching it on television. The small screen, an entertainment vehicle of the highest order, has become one of the single-most influential factors of one’s perception of sport and how it is consumed (Real, 2013). The development of a complex relationship between television and sport over the last few decades is intertwined with two primary trends: the first being the shift in the coverage of sport; a trade that has gone from existing as a mere hobby into an actual profession and a commercialised one at that, while the second relates to television’s recognition of sport as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to bringing in large audiences and turning a solid profit in the process (Galily and Bernstein, 2008).…”

“…Already in Ancient Roman times, sport was viewed as an instrument of mass entertainment – ‘bread and circuses’, if you will. This view of sport only grew stronger with time, and along with the economic-media factor has now become the most prevalent driving force behind popular sport in all its various domains (Real, 2013).…”

“…This is how television has turned sport into a first-rate entertainment event, a fact that ties in directly with the large-scale involvement of the advertisers sponsoring the sporting events. In order to feed the hunger of the masses, television plays up its strengths, utilising its advantages (such as camera angles, commentary, statistics and the propensity to dramatise events even when there is no actual drama to be had) towards offering viewers a comprehensive and wholesome viewing experience (Real, 2013).…”

From awww to awe factor: UK audience meaning-making of the 2012 Paralympics as mediated spectacle

“…The sporting 'mega-event' is characterized as having mass popular appeal, contributing to the shared meaning of public culture, citizenship and identity (Roche 2000: 1); (re)producing commodity culture and seducing the spectator through a 'consumerist union' of commerce, sport, celebrity and television (Rowe 1996: 566;Whannel 2012;Silk 2011) in order to keep the emotional ethos of competition high and feed society's contemporary obsession for records and sporting heroes (Silva and Howe 2012: 182). Sport in this context becomes a substitute for experience and is instead incorporated into the world of entertainment in which the attention of audiences is vied for by the host nation, the media and advertisers (Real 2013). In the lead up to 'London 2012', the emphasis placed upon elite sport encouraged public perceptions of the Paralympics as the 'poor cousin of the Olympics' (Ellis 2008: 28).…”