From FoxNews.com
Review by Shane McMahan in SRM 334 (section 2)
Last Monday, the James Madison Men’s Basketball team won the school’s first CAA Basketball championship since 1994. JMU beat their third team in as many days, jumping out to an impressive start, and coasting to a 70-57 win in front of a dominant JMU crowd at the Richmond Coliseum. Being a faithful supporter since I can remember, I believe that this historic event will help take not only our basketball team to another level, but take our school to another level.
Obviously, winning a championship will get you tons of media support and coverage. One thing that I have learned to be more aware of because of this class is how powerful Twitter really is. I don’t think that anybody really saw this much coverage for JMU coming. Nike Basketball tweeted about Harrisonburg being “now being on the map,” ESPN tweeted about it being our first time dancing since 1994, and Matt Brady took part in several interviews, including one by the well-known ESPN host, Jim Rome. Being that twitter is such a big part of today’s society, anything posted by a well-followed Nike or ESPN is huge for many reasons. One, it is just good publicity for the school and helps give JMU some coverage worldwide. Basketball related, this is huge for prospective recruits that are considering JMU. Like the quote, “If you build it, they will come,” it is not much different in basketball. If you win games, like VCU has recently shown, you will start getting high-level recruits. Just a few years ago we had two guys take official visits to JMU. One was Victor Oladipo, another was named Josh Selby. Oladipo now plays for Indiana and is a favorite for National Player of the Year, and Selby is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. We were able to get these guys on campus for a visit. If we continue to win, it’s only a matter of time before we start getting some of these recruits to come to JMU. Overall, this is a huge step forward for James Madison University.
---
Review by Tory Key in SRM 334 (section 2)
Our group did our presentation on the media’s impact on JMU basketball due to its recent success. The team did not start off the season as if they were going to win the CAA championship. The buzz about the team was not as high then as it is now. The media jumped on JMU when they won the CAA championship. It was the team’s first championship since 1994, so that became a headline right away. The championship was covered by NBC Sports, which is becoming a competitor with ESPN as far as sports coverage. NBC Sports usually covers teams from the CAA and others. Not only did NBC Sports give JMU basketball some exposure by putting the championship on national television, but media sources such as ESPN and NIKE talked about the team. Both tweeted about the team’s success and ESPN showed highlights of the game and the crowd storming the court after the victory. Having both of those situations happen are huge deals for the program. A lot of people follow NIKE on twitter and watch ESPN. Many people on the west coast who never knew James Madison existed probably do now. Also, Coach Matt Brady had significant interviews on the Jim Rome show and Tim Brando show. Once again many Americans listen and watch to these shows, JMU’s name reaches across the country. Most importantly, students have been showing their support for the team more now due to recent success. After all, the fan base starts with the students. JMU’s recent basketball success has gotten them a lot of exposure and it looks like the program has potential for more media attention in the future.
---
Review by Donshae Joyce in SRM 334 (section 2)
After defeating Northeastern to capture the CAA Tournament crown, the JMU Men’s basketball team has brought about usual national exposure and an unfamiliar buzz amongst JMU Nation. The team’s recent success has been uncharted territory for all invested parties considering the program has not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 1994. Since that time, JMU basketball has experienced minimal success that has resulted in low media attention and student support throughout the campus. Combined with the fact that other JMU athletic teams have experienced their fair share of success of the years, this run made by the men’s team has been long overdue.
After earning their place in the championship game, the excitement on campus from our students was blindsiding. Typically, the care for our men’s team is absent and the team is an afterthought. However, the amount of students that traveled to Richmond was shocking compared to the amount of that make the short trip to Convo every home game. Immediately after winning the CAA and clinching their spot in this year’s NCAA Tournament, there were highlights and analysis on ESPN that instantly put JMU on the national map. This is relevant to this course since the power of media outlets, such as ESPN and Twitter, has the basketball team, and the university as a whole, being discussed on a world-wide platform.
The opportunity the men’s team has playing in the NCAA Tournament has elevated the brand of JMU to levels previously not reached. The attention through the media and overall support for the team, the benefits has been and will be priceless.
No comments:
Post a Comment