The Power of Sports Media: The Influential Role Played by Sports Media in the Rise of Sports and the Prominence of Athletes

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to analyse the influential role of sports media in the rise of sports and the prominence of athletes. In this study, which was modelled as a qualitative research, phenomenology design was preferred as the research design. The research sample includes 21 people from different regions of Turkey and with different personal and demographic backgrounds. Participants were selected using purposive sampling, particularly maximum diversity sampling, a non-probability sampling technique often preferred in qualitative research. A "personal information form" and a "semi-structured interview form" developed by the researcher were used for data collection. Fieldwork of semi-structured interviews took place between July 31, 2023 and August 18, 2023. The data obtained were analysed by content analysis method. According to the results of the research, the media coverage of sport events has positive results in terms of social dimension, economic dimension, mental and performance dimension and information access dimension for both athletes, institutions and organisations and viewers in general, while in some cases it leads to results that can be described as negative.