"Katherine Webb, girlfriend of AJ McCarron, steals BCS spotlight"

From USA Today

Review by A.J. Monette in SRM 334 (section 1)

Katherine Webb stormed onto the national stage on January 7th, 2013. For many college sports fans, this was a day to be dedicated to the final game of the season, the BCS National Championship game. The game featured a highly anticipated match up between Notre Dame and Alabama, but the most memorable thing about the game was sitting in the stands. In the first half of the game, ESPN crews cut to a shot of Alabama quarterback, A.J. McCarron’s mother and girlfriend. The reaction from analyst Brent Musburger proved to be the highlight of the game, and a new overnight sensation was born.

Ten years ago this would not even have been a major story. This is not the first time a successful college quarterback has had an attractive girlfriend and it won’t be the last. It is also not as if Ms. Webb was a complete unknown figure, she was crowned Miss Alabama 2012 and went on to finish inside the top ten in Miss USA 2012. So what’s the big deal? Combine ESPN commentator, 73 year old Brent Musburger, a predominantly male audience, and the power of social media, and you will get your answer. Webb stated the game with just over 2,000 twitter followers, and as of January 26th, 2013 she is up to over 270,000 boasting a 120,000 follower advantage over her athlete boyfriend. This stat shows the power of social media. She was instantaneously thrust into the spotlight due to the reaction of fans on Facebook and twitter. She didn’t even do anything special; she was just there in the stands like any supportive girlfriend would be.

While she did not anticipate this level of celebrity, she is certainly taking full advantage of it. Since the game, Webb has landed a spread in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, a spot on ABC’s new reality show Celebrity Diving, a gig for Inside Edition as a correspondent covering the Super Bowl, and secured a place on next year’s Miss USA judging panel. Calling this woman a celebrity is a little far-fetched, but due to role of media and the reaction of fans she has managed to stay in the news far after the final whistle of the championship game blew. The comments made about her appearance were a little inappropriate, but they only added fuel to the fire. Constant tweeting and status updates about Webb made her all the more popular, and without social media this newest off the field sports phenomenon would just be another pretty face in the stands.

This story pertains to our class in particular because it shows us how key social media is becoming to our industry. It makes the world a much smaller place, and it also warns us how something that may not seem like a big deal, can turn into something massive. It also shows how far we have come as far as the role of media in athletics. The role a commentator plays should be one of informative, and to help explain the game. However that may not be the total target market anymore. We are more involved in the personal lives of athletes than ever. This trend can only be expected to continue as the prevalence and scope of social media increases. As the next generation in this field, we need to make sure we are up to date and brush up on our tweeting skills or we may find ourselves at a competitive disadvantage. 

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Review by Becca Gibbs in SRM 334 (section 1)

On January 7, 2013, AJ McCarron played in the BCS Championship against Notre Dame. Although his performance was enough to defeat the Irish 42 to 14, he was not the star of the night. Cameramen focused their lenses on 23-year-old Katherine Webb, girlfriend of Alabama’s quarterback, Aj McCarron, throughout the entire game. Commentators began to commentate on her rather than the championship game. Before the game Webb had about 2,000 followers, but by the end of the game she had over 90,000 followers. Now she has 237,000 followers on Twitter.

Although Webb is Miss Alabama, she did not attain fame through pageants. Sports fans and enthusiasts have recently taken a huge role in the expansion of social media. Twitter has become a favorite website for fans to use because of its efficiency and timeliness. Fans now have a direct line of communication with professional athletes through Twitter by simply tagging them in a post or tweet. Clearly enough people watching the BCS Championship game became mesmerized by Webb’s beauty to create such frenzy.

Sports media has been booming with the creation of Twitter and apps that make exchanging information and opinions easier. The sports industry is trying to keep up with today’s technology. Teams and players are creating accounts in order to stay close with their fans and followers. Katherine Webb is now immersed in the sports world, and the media can take full credit for that.