RTF 365: SPORTS, MEDIA, & SOCIETY

Prof. Jacqueline Vickery

Email: jvickery183@gmail.com

Fall 2008

Course Objectives: To understand the interrelated relationship between sports and media in

American society. We will consider the influence/relationship between sport media and issues

such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, cultural identity, consumerism, commercialism,

politics, and the changing role of sports journalism. We will do this by examining media

representations, constructions, and narratives of sporting events, teams, athletes, and fans. The

course does not focus on one particular sport but rather looks to many sports - professional,

amateur, team and individual - in order to apply various theories, illuminate historical and

contemporary struggles, and closely examine case studies within sports media and American

society.

Learning Outcomes: Students will learn to think more critically about the historical and

symbiotic relationship between sports and media, as well as the larger role sports play in

American society. They will understand how sports influence society’s perspectives on issues

such as race, gender, sexuality, and class and how media shape athletes’ and fans’ experiences.

They will be able to demonstrate their learning through effective written and oral

communication.

What this class is NOT: This is not a space to share trivia or talk about the latest scores and

trades. Watching ESPN does not guarantee your success in this class. While most of us are

probably sports fans, we are here to discuss critical aspects of sports, media, and society. Save

the rivalries and trivia for the sports bar.

Required Texts:

Course Packet

Wenner, L. (1998). MediaSport. New York: Routledge.

Crawford, G. (2004). Consuming Sport: Fans, Sport and Culture. New York: Routledge.

Recommended:

Boyd, T. (2008). Young, Black, Rich, and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, the Hip-

Hop Invasion, and the Transformation of American Culture. Toronto, Canada: Bison Books.

Pennington, B. (2005). The Heisman: Great American Stories of the Men Who Won. New York:

Harper Entertainment.

Course

Requirements: Essay #1: Media Experiences OR Self-Ethnography - 20%

Essay #2: The Athlete - 25%

Essay #3: Fandom - 25%

Midterm: 15%

Attendance, Participation, Office Hours - 15%

Total = 100%

Grading Scale:

A = 93% or above

A- = 90% - 92%

B+ = 87% - 89%

B = 83% - 86%

B- = 80% - 82%

C+ = 77% - 79%

C= 73% - 76%

C- = 70% - 72%

D+ = 67% - 69%

D = 63% - 66%

D- = 60% - 62%

F =Below 62%

*Throughout the semester extra credit opportunities may be given to the entire class, however I

do not offer individual extra credit opportunities so please do not ask. *

COURSE SCHEDULE

Part I: Sport as Spectacle: Understanding the historical relationship between sports and media

Week 1: Introduction: The Relationship between Sports and Media

Mon: Oriard "Introduction: Football and Cultural Studies"

Wed: Jhally "Cultural Studies and the Sports/Media Complex”

Wenner "Playing the MediaSport Game"

Week 2: From Newspaper Coverage to Radio Broadcasts

Mon: Essay topic #1 due in class

Oriard “Football Narrative and the Daily Press"

Wed: Battema "Baseball Meets the National Pastime: Baseball and Radio"

Week 3: Television Enters the Picture

Mon: Gruneau "Making Spectacle: A Case Study in Television Sports Production"

MacCambridge "Prime Time" from America's Game

Wed: Bellamy Jr. "The Evolving Television Sports Marketplace"

Week 4: "Always On" Coverage

Mon: Wood and Benigni "The Coverage of Sports on Cable TV"

Hutchins and Rowe "Broadcasters Under Pressure: The Growing Power of

Telecommunications and Digital Media Companies in the Sports Market

Wed: Sandvoss "Technological Evolution or Revolution? Sport Online Live Internet

Commentary as Postmodern Cultural Form"

Fri: Essay #1 due by 5:00

Part 2: The Athlete: Constructions, Narratives, and Politics of Identity

Week 5: Gender and Sexuality

Mon: Sabo and Jansen "Prometheus Unbound: Constructions of Masculinity in the

Sports Media

Knight and Giuliano "Blood, Sweat, and Jeers: The Impact of the Media's

Heterosexist Portrayals on Perceptions of Male and Female Athletes"

Wed: Hanis-Martin "Embodying Contradiction: The Case of Professional Women's

Basketball"

Dwokin "Intersexual Female Athletes: Critical Reflections on Sex, Gender, and

Sexuality Injustice in Sport"

(http://contexts.org/sexuality/2009/10/12/intersexual-female-athletes-

critical-reflections-on-sex-gender-and-sexuality-injustice-in- sport/)

Week 6: Race and Ethnicity

Mon: Essay topic #2 due in class

Hoberman "Jackie Robinson's Sad Song: The Resegregation of American Sports"

Boyd "Young, Black, Rich, and Famous: Ball, Hip Hop, and the Redefinition of

the American Dream"

Wed: Zirin "Rumble, Young Man, Rumble: Muhammad Ali and the 1960s"

Week 7: Narrative Constructions of the Athlete

Mon: Vande Berg "The Sports Hero Meets Mediated Celebrityhood"

Spencer "From Child's Play to Party Crasher: Venus Williams, racism, and

professional women's tennis"

Wed: Pick 3 Heisman stories by Pennington

"Everybody's Golden Boy: Paul Hornung, 1956"

"The Perfect Kid: Ernie Davis, 1961"

"America's Quarterback: Roger Staubach, 1963"

"The Heisman Is a Privilege, Not a Free Pass: Johnny Rodgers, 1972"

"I Feel Bigger: Doug Floutie, 1984"

"Kindred Spirits: Ricky Williams, 1998 and Doak Walker, 1948"

Week 8: Athlete as Commodity

Mon: Goldman and Papson "Suddenly the Swoosh is Everywhere"

Boyd "I Am: Hip Hop, the Individual, and the Culture of Michael Jordan"

Wed: MID-TERM EXAM

Week 9: Athletes' Self-Representation and Institutional Relationships

Mon: Cunningham "'Please Don't Fine Me Again!!!': Black Athletic Defiance in the

NBA and NFL"

Wed: McNeill "Sports Journalism, Ethics, and Olympic Athletes' Rights."

Part 3: Fans and Fandom: Experiences, Contributions, and Constructions

Week 10: Conceptions of sports fans

Mon: Crawford "Conceptualizing Sport Fans"

Theodoropoulou "The Anti-Fan within the Fan: Awe and Envy in Sports

Fandom"

Wed: Gibson, Willming, and Holdnak "'We're Gators...not just Gator fans': Serious

leisure and University of Florida Football"

Fri: Essay #2 due by 5:00

Week 11: The Sporting Event

Mon: Crawford "The Meaning of the Contemporary Sport Venue"

Wed: Boyd "Selling Home: Corporate stadium names and the deconstruction of

commemoration"

Week 12: Sports Bars and Tailgating

Mon: Essay Topic #3 due in class

Eastman and Land: "The Best of Both Worlds: Sports Fans Find Good Seats at

the Bar"

Wed: Eden "Subways" from Touchdown Jesus

Week 13: Ritual and Place

Mon: Aden et al. "Communities of Cornhuskers: The Generation of Place Through

Sports Fans' Ritual"

Wed: Mitrano "The 'Sudden Death' of Hockey in Hartford: Sports Fans and Franchise

Relocation"

Kraszweski "Pittsburgh in Fort Worth: Football Bars, Sports Television, Sports

Fandom, and the Management of Home"

Week 14: Virtual Fandom: From message boards to Fantasy Leagues

Mon: Lavelle "I Am Yao Ming: Identification and Internet Fan Discussion"

Wed: Lomax "Fantasy Sports: History, Game Types, and Research"

Leonard "Virtual Sports Gaming"

Week 15: Politics and Commodity

Mon: Newman and Giardina "NASCAR and the "Southernization" of America:

Spectatorship, Subjectivity, and the Confederation of Identity"

Wed: Delgado "Sport and Politics: Major League Soccer, Constitution, and (The)

Latino Audience(s)"

Essay #3 due NEXT Wednesday by 5:00

ASSIGNMENTS

Start thinking about your projects NOW so you’ll have plenty of time to work on them

Essay #1

Option 1: Self-Ethnography: You will write a 5-7 page paper analyzing and assessing your own

relationship to sports and media either as a child or currently. This paper will consist of two

parts.

1) Consider why you are a fan of a particular sport, team, league, or player. For example, is it

because you lived in a particular city, because your family and friends are fans, because you

played sports, etc.? When and how did you first become interested in the sport, team, league, or

player? Has your interest changed over the years, if so how and why? Critically think about your

relationship to the sport, team, league, or player and the ways friends, family, geography, and

media either enhance and/or inhibit your experiences.

2) Consider your subject position as a fan. How does your gender, sexuality, ethnicity, cultural

geography, and /or class affect your relationship with the sport, team, league, or player? For

example, do you feel you belong to a fan community – physically or virtually - or do you feel

like an outsider – physically or virtually? Think critically about the ways your subject position as

a fan enhances and/or inhibits your fan experiences physically and/or in virtual spaces?

Option #2: Mediated and Live Experiences. This will be a 5-7 page paper comparing a live

sporting event to a mediated sporting event. Attend a high school, college, or professional

sporting event (many college events are free to students). While at the event observe what media

are present (posters, the program, announcers, screens, etc.). What messages do they portray?

What stories, histories, people, and/or events do they draw attention to? How do fans interact

with media? Then watch a different game/match of the same sport on television. How is the

experience different from being at the event? What aspects of the game are highlighted? How are

athletes portrayed differently? What stories get told? What messages are conveyed via

commentators, advertisements, etc? Good papers will identify, examine, and analyze how media

change experiences for spectators both at the event and on television.

Essay #2: The Athlete

Option #1: Compare/Contrast Athletes. Choose 2 prominent athletes from the same sport who

are somehow different from one another (gender, race, professional/amateur, region, etc.).

“Follow” the two athletes - watch their games, and read/watch AT LEAST 3 interviews,

commentaries, and/or analyses of EACH of the athletes in order to compare the ways the two

athletes are constructed via race, gender, class, sexuality, region, etc. In what ways do media

draw attention to (or not) the body and identity? Both athletes must be currently in season, their

games must be available to you, and they should not be injured/suspended, etc. Submit your

choices for approval prior to starting your research. Write an 8-10 page paper explaining,

analyzing, and comparing the ways the two athletes are constructed and portrayed.

Option #2: Narrative Constructions of an Athlete. Choose 1 prominent athlete currently in

season whose games are available to you; the athlete must not be currently injured/suspended.

“Follow” the athlete for a 3 week period – watch his/her games, read/watch interviews, analysis,

and commentary within sports journalism, pay attention to advertisements or endorsements from

the athlete, check out sports magazines, etc. In what ways is the athlete gendered, racialized,

classed, etc.? What narratives are constructed around the athlete’s abilities? What aspects of the

athlete’s life are discussed, both on and off the field/court? Is there a particular scandal,

controversy, event, etc. being highlighted? Do media focus on the athlete’s personal life or sports

life more? Is the media attention positive, negative, both? What narratives are used to discuss the

athlete - is the athlete a hero, deviant, “good ‘ol boy”, etc.? Do you observe differences between

magazine and television portrayals or during the game versus after? Write an 8-10 page paper

explaining and analyzing the narratives used to construct the athlete’s story and persona both

professionally and personally.

Essay #3: Fandom

Option #1: Virtual Fandom. Choose a virtual sports fan space (Twitter, blogs, chatrooms,

discussion forums, Xbox, Justin.tv, etc) to analyze for several weeks. The spaces must be active

(currently in season with active participants). Submit your choice for approval prior to beginning

your assessment. Characterize the ways individuals perform their fandom within this space. For

example, how do fans demonstrate their knowledge of the game/league and their loyalties? What

rivalries are present and how do rivals interact with one another? What roles does geography

play in shaping loyalties, stereotypes, language, inclusion, exclusion, etc.? Can you identify

different "levels" of fandom, if so, how? Do you notice any gender differences amongst fans, if

so what? Do you observe any underlying racism, sexism, or homophobia, if so give examples

and analyze how fans respond? Do fans discuss issues outside of the game/sport/league? If so,

what? Is the space moderated/regulated, if so, how does this shape the interactions and

experiences? Write an 8-10 page paper describing the fans' experiences in the online space.

Identify common themes of discussion. Explain the norms, narratives, and function of the space.

Analyze the ways fans perform fandom, express loyalties, display knowledge, etc.

Option #2: Interviewing Fans. Choose 3 sports fans to interview about their fan experiences.

During the interview find out what they are a fan of, how they became a fan, what being a fan

means to them, how they perform their fandom, how much time/money they spend on the sport,

how does their fan experiences affect their relationships at home, work, with friends, etc. Plan

AT LEAST an hour for each interview. Your goal is to understand the role of sports in their

everyday lives and to compare and contrast how fandom is different for different people

depending on the sport itself, where they live, how old they are, if they are a man or a woman, if

their family loves/hates the sport, etc. Write an 8-10 page paper explaining and analyzing the

role of sports in your interviewees’ lives. Because we will not discuss interviewing too much in

class, you will need to set up an appointment with me to discuss this option prior to beginning

your research.

Midterm

The midterm will be short answers. The purpose is to make sure you understand the theories,

vocabulary, methods, and ideologies of the course prior to writing your final two essays.

Participation, Attendance & Office Hours

Attendance is mandatory; you cannot participate if you do not show up. You are allowed 3

absences without penalty; there are no “excused” or “unexcused” absences - either you are here

or you are not.

Participation will be based on your contributions to the class. Do the readings PRIOR to class,

show up on time and do not leave early, contribute to the discussion, respectfully listen to your

classmates, do not monopolize the discussion. Feel free to express your opinions, ask questions,

and contribute your own knowledge to the class. We all have unique experiences and knowledge

to share, but you must to be present to share them. Office hours: I will have a sign-up sheet

outside my office door. You MUST come see me during office hours AT LEAST once during

the first half of the semester. This is a chance for you to ask questions, tell me about your

projects, and get one-on-one help. It is also a chance for me to get to know you better. If you

choose Option #2 on Essay #3 (the interviews) you must also make an appointment with me

prior to conducting your interviews.

Course Packet Bibliography (available at Jenn’s Copy)

Aden, R.et al. (2009). Communities of Cornhuskers: The Generation of Place Through Sports Fans'

Ritual. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 10(1), 26-37.

Andrews, D. (2001). From Child's Play to Party Crasher: Venus Williams, racism, and professional

women's tennis. Sport Stars: The Cultural Politics of Sporting Celebrity (pp. 87-101). New

York: Routledge.

Battema, D. (2002). Baseball Meets the National Pastime: Baseball and Radio. The Cooperstown

Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, 1999 (Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball &

American Culture) (pp. 147-174). Jefferson, N.C.: Mcfarland & Company.

Bellamy, Jr. (1998). The Evolving Television Sports Marketplace. MediaSport (pp. 73-87). New York:

Routledge.

Berg, L. V. (1998). The Sports Hero Meets Mediated Celebrityhood. MediaSport (pp. 134-153). New

York: Routledge.

Boyd, J. (2000). Selling Home: Corporate stadium names and the deconstruction of

commemoration. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 28(4), 330-346.

Boyd, T. (2008). I Am: Hip Hop, the Individual, and the Culture of Michael Jordan". Young, Black,

Rich, and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, the Hip Hop Invasion, and the Transformation of

American Culture (pp. 87-104). Toronto, Canada: Bison Books.

Boyd, T. (2008). Young, Black, Rich, and Famous: Ball, Hip Hop, and the Redefinition of the American

Dream. Young, Black, Rich, and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, the Hip Hop Invasion, and the

Transformation of American Culture (pp. 1-18). Toronto, Canada: Bison Books.

Crawford, G. (2004). Conceptualizing sports fans. Consuming Sport: Fans, Sport and Culture (pp. 19-

51). New York: Routledge.

Crawford, G. (2004). Sports fan and everyday life. Consuming Sport: Fans, Sport and Culture (pp. 105-

111). New York: Routledge.

Crawford, G. (2004). The Meaning of the Contemporary Sport Venue. Consuming Sport: Fans, Sport

and Culture (1 ed., pp. 65-76). New York: Routledge.

Cunningham, P. (2009). Please Don't Fine Me Again!!!. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 33(1), 39-

58.

Delgado, F. (1999). Sport and Politics: Major League Soccer, Constitution, and (The) Latino

Audience(s). Journal of Sport and Social Issue, 23(1), 41-54.

Eastman, S., & Land, A. (1997). The Best of Both Worlds: Sports Fans Find Good Seats at the

Bar. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 21(2), 156-178.

Eden, S. (2008). Subways. Touchdown Jesus: Faith and Fandom at Notre Dame, (pp. 141-162). New

York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Gibson, H., Wilming, C., & Holdnak, A. (2002). We're Gators...not just Gator fans': serious leisure and

University of Florida Football. Journal of Leisure Research, 34.

Goldman, R., & Papson, S. (1999). Suddenly the Swoosh is Everywhere. Nike Culture: The Sign of the

Swoosh (Cultural Icons series) (pp. 1-23). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd.

Gruneau, R. (1989). Making Spectacle: A Case Study in Television Sports Production. Media, Sports,

and Society (pp. 134-154). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.

Hanis-Martin, J. (2006). Embodying Contradiction: The Case of Professional Women's

Basketball. Journal of Sport and Social Change, 30(3), 265-288.

Hoberman, J. (1997). Jackie Robinson's Sad Song: The Resegregation of American Sports. Darwin's

Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race (pp. 28-51).

New York: Mariner Books.

Hugenberg, L. (2008). Introduction. Sports Mania: Essays on Fandom and the Media in the 21st

Century (pp. 3-9). North Carolina: Mcfarland.

Jhally, S. (1989). Cultural Studies and the Sports/Media Complex. Media, Sports, and Society (pp. 70-

96). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.

Knight, J., & Giuliano, T. (2003). Blood, Sweat, and Jeers: The Impact of the Media's Heterosexist

Portrayals on Perceptions of Male and Female Athletes. Journal of Sports Behavior, 26(3), 272-

284.

Kraszweski, J. (2008). Pittsburgh in Fort Worth. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 32(2), 139-157.

Lavelle, K. (2008). I Am Yao Ming: Identification and Internet Fan Discussion. Sports Mania: Essays

on Fandom and the Media in the 21st Century (pp. 114-127). North Carolina: Mcfarland.

Leonard. (2006). Virtual Sports Gaming. Handbook of Sports and Media (Lea's Communication

Series) (1 ed., pp. 393-408). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Lomax, R. (2006). Fantasy Sports: History, Game Types, and Research. Handbook of Sports and Media

(Lea's Communication Series) (1 ed., pp. 383-393). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

MacNeill, M. (1998). Sports Journalism, Ethics, and Olympic Athletes' Rights. MediaSport (pp. 100-

115). New York: Routledge.

Maccambridge, M. (2005). Prime Time . America's Game (pp. 275-290). New York: Anchor.

Mitrano, J. (1999). The 'Sudden Death' of Hockey in Hartford: Sports Fans and Franchise

Relocation. Sociology of Sport Journal, 16, 134-154.

Newman, J., & Giardina, M. (2008). NASCAR and the "Southernization" of America: Spectatorship,

Subjectivity, and the Confederation of Identity. Cultural Studies Critical Methodologies, 8(4),

479-506.

Oriard, M. (1998). Introduction: Football and Cultural Studies. Reading Football: How the Popular

Press Created an American Spectacle (Cultural Studies of the United States) (pp. 1-20). Chapel

Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.

Oriard, M. (1998). Reading Football: How the Popular Press Created an American Spectacle (Cultural

Studies of the United States). Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.

Pennington, B. (2005). The Heisman: Great American Stories of the Men Who Won (pp. 117-130). New

York: Harper Entertainment.

Sabo, D., & Jansen, S. (1998). Prometheus Unbound: Constructions of Masculinity in the Sports

Media. MediaSport (1 ed., pp. 202-217). New York: Routledge.

Sandvoss, C. (2004). Technological Evolution or Revolution? Sport Online Live Internet Commentary

as Postmodern Cultural Form. Convergence, 10(3), 39-54.

Theodoropoulou, V. (2007). The Anti-Fan within the Fan: Awe and Envy in Sports Fandom. Fandom:

Identities and Communities in a Mediated World (pp. 316-327). London: NYU Press.

Wenner, L. (1998). Playing the MediaSport Game. MediaSport (pp. 3-13). New York: Routledge.

Wood, C., & Benigni, V. (2006). The Coverage of Sports on Cable TV. Handbook of Sports and Media

(Lea's Communication Series) (1 ed., pp. 147-170). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Zirin, D. (2005). Rumble, Young Man, Rumble: Muhammad Ali and the 1960s. What's My Name, Fool?

Sports and Resistance in the United States (pp. 53-72). Hartford: Haymarket Books.