How to Fix the World Baseball Classic

From SI.com, The New Yorker, Bustasports, Nats101.com, and The Washington Times

Review by Sean Sullivan in SRM 334 (section 1)

The topic we selected was the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The reason we selected this topic was because of the lack of media coverage, the incorrect way the media perceives, and the flaws of the WBC. We used numerous sources to cover our topic from all different angles. However, one of the main sources we utilized was the ESPN clip of the Canada versus Mexico brawl. This video offered great insight and inspiration for us to understand the issues amongst the media and the WBC.

There are numerous issues with the WBC and media. When it comes to the WBC itself we can begin with the scheduling. The WBC poorly decided to start the tournament during the NFL Free Agency frenzy and the hype of NCAA Basketball. With the WBC scheduling during the spectacle of NFL Free Agency this makes it extremely difficult for the WBC to gain any media coverage in the U.S. When football is the considered by many as the number one sport in the U.S. baseball must realize that the bulk of media coverage will be geared towards the NFL. To also schedule the WBC tournament around the same time that NCAA Basketball is at its height of popularity is also foolish. During that particular time frame with college basketball conference tournaments going on as well as March Madness it is pure stupidity to assume that the WBC will dominate in terms of media coverage over college basketball. Both events overshadow the WBC with ease. Other issues with the WBC are lack of U.S. baseball stars participating and that games are not televised on cable and only available if fans have the MLB Network channel. If the WBC wanted to improve its chances of receiving heightened media coverage they would have to develop some type of incentive or invoke desire for the top players to play. Many of the players on team USA are minor league prospects or lesser known major league players. If the WBC can make it attractive enough to appeal to the big name players that would drastically enhance the media coverage; because stars attract the eyes. The other issues, as mentioned before, are the games not being televised on cable. The true fans of baseball who would like to watch cannot watch the games unless they have the MLB Network. The WBC has to consider resolving that dilemma by allowing its “blue collar” fans the opportunity to watch the games. Treating the sports fans that way only damages its media coverage.

Now as far as the media and its coverage of the WBC the one flaw they have is summed up perfectly by Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci, “the media covers the WBC for what it is not, rather than for what it is.” This quote exemplifies exactly what is wrong with the media when it comes to covering the WBC. Many of the times the media only shows a brief two-minute highlight clip of a game or sometimes a ten second update of the scores. What also occurs quite frequently is the only time the media gives the WBC extended coverage is when something like the Canada and Mexico bawl takes place. So in order for the WBC to receive any in-depth coverage something rather than the game of baseball itself must occur, aka a brawl. Many were unaware that the WBC was taking place until sports media started discussing the WBC brawl. To relate it to Verducci’s point, WBC only gets mentioned for what it is not (fighting and brawl) rather than what it is, which is the game of baseball. There would not have been an issue with the media coverage of the bawl had the media been offering more in-depth analysis and coverage concerning the games itself. Other issue is whenever media covers the WBC with extended analysis they discuss all the flaws of the WBC, such as scheduling, MLB player participation, etc. The media hardly ever focuses on just the games and the players performances. It always seems to be negative coverage towards the WBC.

All the issues with both the WBC and the media the blame should be mostly blamed on the WBC. The poor decisions thus far have led to many of the WBC lack of media coverage. Why should the media want to cover a sport that does not even appear on television? On top of that why would the media prefer to cover an event that is not on television and is during two of the more popular events (Free Agency and College Basketball) during the same time frame? It does not make any sense for the media to invest their time and money for the WBC, when in reality the WBC can solve these issues by simply swallowing their pride. Baseball is a very prideful sport, it prides itself in its rich history and tradition; it is also handcuffed to it as well. You see the struggle with the MLB today in regards to instant replay. It has taking the MLB years to reach the point it has now with instant replay and yet the MLB still refuses to allow technological advancements to help solve human error which can cost a team a win or a loss. Baseball is so prideful and stubborn that it in the end it hurts the game more than it helps it; this is the same for the WBC. The WBC needs to look at itself and accept its flaws in order to safe itself. Stop blaming the media on this one because it is the WBC’s fault for its lack of media coverage.

This topic is relevant to the course because it shows the flaws on both ends of the spectrum. Yes, the media could do a better job at covering the WBC, but the WBC could do a hell of a lot more to make the media want to cover the WBC. This offers great insight for our course to see how sometimes the media is not the one to blame. Usually people blame the media and sometimes rightfully so, but there are times when it is not the media but the event/sport that is the main issue. This also shows our course what not to do when trying to have a sports tournament. It helps people realizes how important timing and scheduling can be in order to maximizes the tournaments media coverage. Sometimes it is about configuring to the media, because the majority of the time the media does not configure to you.
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Review by Brett Ireland in SRM 334 (section 1)

March 19, 2013 marked the completion of the third World Baseball Classic, crowning the Dominican Republic as world champions. This “tournament” involves 16 teams that represent their country where players may play for the team of the country they were born in, or are a citizen of, regardless of what professional league they play for. Japan has been crowned champions twice while the Dominicans recently became the new champions. Major League Baseball is considered the best and highest level of professional baseball in the world, yet the United States team has yet to place. This tournament happens every four years and has become “Baseball’s Olympics” and the Unites States has not been treating it as such or giving it the recognition in the media that it deserves.

Competing in the Olympics amongst the world’s best is considered a great honor for any individual. This tournament is considered the baseball segment of the Olympics and has showed great success worldwide including high popularity on Japan. The Unites States is not fielding a team that has the best players available. MVPs of recent years were left off the roster and fans and other players of and for the United States team don’t take pride in the team. This is a contributing factor to the lack of media support and coverage of the United States team. Solutions that will allow for better media coverage of the team include, forcing players to participate and changing the time of year the tournament is played. Fielding the best possible team will make the team more competitive and thus more enjoyable to watch. Also, the event takes place at a time when teams are putting together rosters and don’t want to risk their players health ultimately leading to teams prohibiting their players from participating. Changing the time this tournament takes place may allow for more players to join the team.

This is relevant to Sport Media because this presents an important sporting event not getting media coverage. Regular season baseball games are televised on a daily basis as are the Olympics. This is a world stage event that includes high profile players from many different teams and countries. It is considered an honor for some to represent their country and more important than regular season baseball. For the United States, however, many of the best players, including MVPs, elect not to participate and the tournament is not seen as a big deal to American citizens because the games are often not made available for the public to view or listen to.

"Qatar open to winter World Cup in 2022"

From Yahoo! Sports

Review by Timothy Allen in SRM 334 (section 3)

Hayden Dyer and I selected the Qatar bid for the 2022 world cup as our current event presentation for many reasons. Both of us are interested in the sport, and we found it unique that a country such as Qatar would be able to host one of the biggest events in the world of sport.

Qatar is a small country in the Middle East, bordered only by Saudi Arabia (although in close proximity of Bahrain and United Arab Emirates). The economy of Qatar is essentially run by oil, and many surrounding countries have had much prosperity because of this product. The city of Dubai in UAE has expanded to one of the largest cities in the world, and is growing exponentially. Some of the projects that are happening there are remarkable and they have high hopes that they will be one of the most visited cities in the world in the next few years.

Qatar itself has made a lot of promises up to this point. They have planned on building 8 (almost brand new) stadiums to attract attention and a World Cup bid. These stadiums offer built in air conditioning to keep players and fans cool in the 100+ degree conditions during the summer. This will be the most expensive World Cup in history by a long shot. The selection process for Qatar to get this world cup was a long and arduous one; they had to produce a bid evaluation report which covers hotel accommodations to transportation for players and fans. The struggle to get this attention was hard as well, 2002 was the first time a world cup wasn’t held in the Americas or Europe, and 2010 was the first time the world cup was held in Africa. FIFA President Sepp Blatter said it was his goal to bring the World Cup to countries that would never have a chance to see it years ago, but that leaves a lot of pressure for these countries to prepare for it.

Although Qatar is a safe country itself, it’s hard to ignore the safety concerns in hosting such a large event in the Middle East, and being a Muslim country there is still much hostility towards other nationalities and religions. For example, Qatar is a dry country, meaning alcohol is forbidden and against the law to possess, but for the World Cup, alcohol will be permitted and there will be designated alcohol zones where it can be purchased and consumed. Another difficulty in Qatar’s bid was Israel, although they aren’t a powerhouse in the sport, there is a strong possibility they will be included in the tournament, and although Qatar doesn’t recognize Israel as a country, they will still be able to compete.

Overall, Qatar is drawn out to be a success on paper. They have a lot of time to prepare for the tournament and unlike South Africa they plan on being done with stadium renovations years before the tournament will take place. There is a lot that can go wrong in the next 10 years, but with careful preparation I can see this World Cup being a success for the Middle East’s exposure and for other hopeful countries to come.

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Review by Hayden Dyer in SRM 334 (section 3)

For our current event presentation, we decided on the topic of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the controversies, bid campaign, and media involvement that come along with it. Qatar was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in a bid campaign that also included countries such as, USA, Japan, and Australian, to name a few. One of the major controversies surrounding FIFA’s choice to pick Qatar was how hot it gets during the summers. Temperatures can reach up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, making medical personnel worried about the player’s safety of playing in these temperatures. One suggestion was to schedule the event during Qatar’s winter months, where the temperature would be much lower. Many people wondered knowing that it would be so hot why would FIFA choose Qatar to host such a big event. It all starts with the bid campaign where the country proposes to FIFA on why they should host the World Cup. Using media such as websites and videos, Qatar began to spread the word to gain supporters for their proposal. They aired videos showing how not only their country, but also the world would come together and enjoy such an event. They also put out videos of architectural designs of what the stadiums would look like, if they were chosen, and to silence critics about it being too hot, they said that each stadium would have an air conditioning unit that would make the stadium about 30 degrees cooler than it was outside. Seeing these proposals FIFA chose Qatar to be in the final voting with USA, who Qatar beat to host this event. Using media such as websites, and airing commercials to get their name out there Qatar grabbed the attention of many people, and impressed the FIFA committee with their state of the art facility plans, enough so to host an event as big as the FIFA World Cup.

"CDW Renews with PGA TOUR as '"Official Technology Partner'"

From CDW

Review by Kevin McGough in KIN 332

Since 2008 the CDW and PGA have been partners and the CDW has been one of the largest PGA sponsors. Recently, the two agreed on an extension for four years lasting until 2016. I believe this is a great sponsorship and they compliment each other extremely well. The CDW makes sure the Professional Golf Tour has great media, on-site fan experiences and the new ShotLink. ShotLink provides a virtual experience for staff, players, and fans to look at all the detail and virtual shots of each players swing throughout the TOUR. 

In turn, the PGA provides a great atmosphere and cliental for the CDW to promote their technology. The CDW gives away technology IT products and services to staff and players. They also get to brand their name on the virtual score boards. This is great advertising for the CDW and the two companies can work together to better one another in business.

“Since the outset of our marketing relationship with CDW in 2008, the TOUR has taken full advantage of CDW’s expertise to improve and enhance our technological capabilities to the benefit of our staff, players and fans,” said Tom Wade, global commercial officer of the PGA TOUR. This is a great chance for the CDW to provide customer service to future cliental as well. The PGA attracts higher cliental and even business owners so it is smart to provide the best hospitality to the PGA through the CDW so it compliments them both as one.

"JMU star quotes LeBron James: ‘It’s about damn time’"

From the Washington Post

Review by Ryan Kilmon in SRM 334 (section 1)

This is a short article written by the Washington Post’s Ed Miller. After he covered the CAA championship game that the dukes won he received a lot of appreciation from readers. In his article he expresses his surprise at this reaction because he has never specifically been asked for more coverage of JMU. To please his readers again he wrote this article focusing on senior forward Rayshawn Goins and his interview after the dukes won the championship game. 

I really thought this article was interesting because it showed the reaction of the author which articles don’t often do. I was a little surprised that so many people appreciated the expanded coverage of the JMU men’s basketball team. JMU is not really considered a big name school and hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1994. I guess a lot of people were as excited for JMU success as I was. No one who has gone to JMU in nearly the past two decades has been a part of this or seen this unfold. The success has garnered a lot of attention in the media even making it onto SportsCenters top plays.

The course relates to this topic and article in quite a few ways. Not only was the article related to our University and the success and happiness we were experiencing at the time, but it was a first-hand reaction from a very well respected writer of the Washington Post. It relates directly to media and media coverage that has been generated over the past week. Social media has also been blowing up with comments about JMU making it to the “Big Dance.” I have seen countless tweets and Facebook posts in the last week about this experience and it has made me consider how the situation must have been different 19 years ago. I am very proud that I will be able to look back years down the road as being a part of it and the JMU nation.

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Review by Joey Townsend in SRM 334 (section 1)

We decided to do our current event project on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament focusing our attention on JMU making the tournament. This is the first time since the 1994 season that the team has made it back to the tournament. James Madison last won a NCAA tournament game back in the 1983 season. Hopefully that drought will end Wednesday when they play LIU Brooklyn at the University of Dayton. Both teams are coming into the tournament as co-No. 16 seeds. The winner of the James Madison-LIU Brooklyn contest will face one of the college game’s most aristocratic programs, top-seeded Indiana, on Friday in Dayton. JMU was given little respect on Sunday when they were selected as a co-No. 16 seed. Some of the JMU players will be playing with a chip on their shoulder which could help them advance to the next round. However, many of the players are just happy to be recognized at such a competitive event. JMU has received tons of attention for making the NCAA tournament this year. If the dukes can win on Wednesday, the media coverage for the team and school will only keep going up. For the people who may be watching the tournament and don’t know about James Madison University, this could really be a chance to put JMU in consideration for many people who are choosing colleges to attend too. Also, many future college student athletes who are watching the tournament may consider attending and playing at James Madison after seeing their success this season and being able to make it to the tournament. This is not only a huge win for a men’s basketball team, but also a huge win for the University.

"James Madison wins CAA crown, ends NCAA tourney drought"

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. 

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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.
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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. 

"EA and ESPN Kick Off Madden NFL 25 Cover Vote"

From ESPN

Review by Austin Davidson in SRM 334 (section 3)
On August 27, 2013, EA Sports’ Madden video game franchise will release its 25th anniversary edition installment. Since 2011, EA Sports has tried to find ways to get the fans more involved in the process of how each player deemed worthy to grace the cover, every year, is selected. Befitting such a monumental anniversary, this year has taken it above and beyond any previous year’s aspirations. The usage of ESPN television shows, social media (esp. Twitter), and many internet web destinations, has created an unprecedented buzz around the game, almost six months before its release. 

The way the voting for the cover player is a familiar concept to many sports fans. One word; brackets! It has been narrowed down to 64 players, half of which are NFL legends, and the other half are up-and-coming stars in the National Football League. The fans can vote by going to the ESPN website, and some live-tweet voting on Twitter is carried out during ESPN’s SportsNation television show. After each round of voting, the results are revealed on the show, with the overall winner being revealed on April 24, 2013.

I find this to be tremendous marketing strategy for everyone involved in the process. This idea has brought the internet and social media, and television into an incredibly effective and interactive relationship. The companies have found more ways to connect with their demographics and even got the rising hip hop star, Kendrick Lamar, to perform on the SportsNation Madden Cover Vote kickoff show. It has created a buzz most video game companies would die for, this early before release. I am fairly certain we’ll be seeing more of this type of collaborative efforts between EA Sports, and ESPN to milk this newly found cash-cow as much as possible.
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Review by Allison Straley in SRM 334 (section 3)
The Madden NFL Cover Vote is in the middle of their second time having fans vote what player should appear on the cover of the popular EA Sports game, Madden NFL. 

Each week fans have the opportunity to vote in two brackets, old-school, which consists of former players, and new-school, which consists of current players. They players “face off” each week in hopes of advancing and gaining that spot on the cover of the game. Fans are able to vote through the ESPN website as well as Twitter.

The program SportsNation, which airs on ESPN2, has weekly updates for fans on which former and current players have advanced. They also bring some of the players on the show where they can plead their case on why they should receive votes. The winner will be announced April 24th, and the game will be released August 27th. 

Having fans vote on who should be the cover player is a great way for everyone across the nation to get involved in something that is extremely popular. ESPN and EA Sports are using media outlets that have a lot of viewers/usage, such as SportsNation and Twitter. This topic is relevant to the course because media is being used in multiple aspects to get an event known to the public. The different aspects of media, such as advertising, public relations and strategy are presented in this topic. The advertising is through the ESPN website and on the show and Twitter. Public relations was big at the launch party for the competition for the cover. Finally, the strategy is to get as many people to vote and that is occurring by using popular media outlets. The game is very popular and giving the consumers a say in what the game with look like, gives it the potential for even more success.

"Richard Sherman To Skip Bayless: 'I'm Better At Life Than You'"

From the Huffington Post

Review by Schuyler LaClair in SRM 334 (section 2)

Professional athletes have many different ways and strategies to get their name known through out the sports world, which also grabs the attention of the media. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has done just that in a matter of months starting from controversies in just a couple games during the 2012 season. Not only did the spot light shine on Sherman during the season but also after the season was over he has multiple occasions of venting through social media and expressing how he felt in open interviews on television.

During the 2012 season Richard Sherman talked trash before and during games. One game that stood out was when the Seahawks upset the Patriots 24 – 23. After the game Sherman went up to New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady screaming “You mad bro?” Two weeks later Sherman predicted that he would shut down Detroit Lions all pro wide receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson and gave himself the nickname of “Optimus Prime.”

When the 2012 offseason started, Sherman got into a heated twitter battle with New York Jets cornerback Derrelle Revis about who was the best cornerback in the National Football League. Then Richard Sherman was a guest on ESPN’s “First Take.” While interviewed by Skip Bayless, Sherman blew up on Skip and just expressed how he felt towards him. While on national television, Sherman showed no respect to the show’s host.

Richard Sherman and the events he’s been involved in recently is related to sports media by how athletes decide to act off the field. When an athlete goes on a rant over social media or television, the media loves giving the athlete the attention they basically asked for. Anytime an athlete goes outside the boundary lines of generalized answers during an interview, it gains the attention of every media outlet in the sports industry. Richard Sherman knows what he has done and hasn’t slowed down since then. His name will known in every household if he keeps going on this path.
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Review by Cameron McKinley in SRM 334 (section 2)

In today sports world, athletes have been known to use various media outlets as a way to vent frustrations or to promote their own brand, whether through traditional media sources, such as television or print media, or newer forms of media, i.e. social media. Richard Sherman has not been on the scene for very long, but he has certainly made use of these forms of media for both purposes. Following his Twitter feud with fellow cornerback Darelle Revis, Sherman took to TV and radio to try to promote his off-season charitable cause, Students with a Goal. While making the rounds for this, he came on to ESPN’s “First Take” and immediately began personally attacking co-host Skip Bayless.

With athletes continually being brought on media programs, whether TV or radio or social media, they are now subjecting themselves to more scrutiny than ever before. They way an athlete handles himself or herself in the media can greatly affect how they are seen as a player. Take Derek Jeter for example. He has always handled himself very well when dealing with aspects of the media, and his on the field accomplishments are magnified and are able to speak for themselves. But with a young, relatively unknown player such as Sherman, such a portrayal in the media can be detrimental to his image and can make people look past his on the field statistics or success when all they know about him is how he handles himself in the media.

Being that this is a class based upon sports media, in the past we have focused on such media outlets and the evolution of the Sports Communication Model. In the past, it would not have been possible for a player such as Sherman to take to all the media outlets to promote himself and his causes, nor to have his feud with Revis and Bayless. He was able to reach the wider sports audiences through his TV rounds, as well as to reach more niche, local markets through radio and Twitter. This is also a two-way street with fans being able to show their reaction directly to him by being able to call in to radio shows he was on or to tweet at him following everything that has happened in the off-season.

"Manti Te'o causing NFL teams to mine social media more"

From USA Today

Review by Connor Massei in SRM 334 (section 3)

The article from USA Today.com explains that NFL General Managers and Coaches are focusing more on draft prospect involvement on social media than ever before. This focus is greatly due to the highly publicized Manti Te’o hoax, in which one of the NFL’s highest rated prospects was involved in a false relationship with an imaginary girlfriend. Te’o communicated with whom he believed to be his girlfriend strictly through phone calls and the social networks, namely twitter. NFL organizations, more often than ever before, have personnel that monitor prospects tendencies on twitter and Facebook. These tendencies and posts are closely analyzed and sometimes play an effect on players draft stocks. Personally, Te’o now has more pressure to perform on pre-draft interviews due to his involvement in the hoax and poor judgment that could be seen on social media. 

This article helps its audience to understand that NFL GMs and Coaches care more about prospects than their physical talents shown on the field. It is important to them that their players show character, and an efficient way to get to know a prospect indirectly is through monitoring of their twitter and Facebook pages. I think it is interesting how much of an impact the tendencies of prospects on social networks can affect their draft stock, or even prevent them from being drafted at all. This new practice by NFL organizations is just one more dimension for NFL hopefuls to be aware of throughout college and during the pre-draft process. The article is relevant to this course because as we have discussed in class, the social media plays an important role in sports these days. The fact that NFL teams monitor player’s twitters and Facebook pages demonstrates the ability for social media to potentially spark, dampen, or even ruin the career of potential professional athletes. Sports media greatly utilizes social networks, and this article is a prime example of why they are so often used.
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Review by Michael Civiello in SRM 334 (section 3)

In summary, this article goes over how the so called “hoax” of Manti Te’o is now making NFL teams and their executives re-evaluate their own ways on how they will evaluate college prospects prior to the NFL draft. It has quotes from two NFL general managers: Rick Spielman of the Minnesota Vikings and John Schneider of the Seattle Seahawks. Spielman is quoted as calling the evaluated players “social media players” nowadays. He talks about how teams are now digging more in depth into players’ social media pages. John Schneider of the Seahawks said the team has a security staff assigned to monitor social media pages of potential prospects the team is scouting.

Spielman and head coach Greg Schiano of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers both emphasized the importance of the interview process that teams get with players at the combine. They both said that the fifteen minutes they get with prospects, especially a player such as Te’o, will be very crucial in determining the player’s football smarts but also their character.

Social media is so relevant in today’s world, especially with the national media outlets. Many players do not have private pages and that makes them susceptible to getting looked at by teams that will monitor their pages. These players definitely have to be more careful because posting inappropriate tweets or pictures can cost players lots of money because they fall far down draft boards and potentially undrafted. It is dream to many of the prospects to play in the NFL and its sometimes unthinkable that something as small as a post on twitter can potentially ruin that dream.

"A country remains in shock as hero Pistorius charged with murder"

From Sports Illustrated

Review by Anne Comber in SRM 334 (section 1)

On February 14, 2013, South Africa’s media exploded when news of their double-amputee, heroic sprinter was charged with premeditated murder of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. This terrible tragedy was exposed to the public immediately after news reporters found out the story. South Africa’s citizens went into shock as their global inspiration stood in the courtroom awaiting bail. 

With little defense the news was even more shocking when the media released details of the incident that took place in Pistorius’s heavily guarded mansion. His house was thoroughly inspected and there was no evidence of a burglar breaking an entry. Pistorius told police he mistook his 29-year-old girlfriend for an intruder and shot his 9-mm firearm to protect himself. South Africa is known for violent crimes, especially house robberies and this sparks a rising issue of gun ownership. Pistorius shot through the bathroom door four times, striking Steenkamp in the head with one of the shots. Steenkamp had allegedly locked herself in the bathroom and blood spatter patterns showed she was carried or ran down stairs still alive. There are my unanswered questions regarding the incident and sooner or later the truth with come out.

The Media portrays Pistorius as a hero one minute and villain the next. This is relevant to this course because it shows how the media turns a well-known, inspirational athlete into a murder without all the facts. Many athletes have done things they are not so proud of but because of the media they are remembered for their faults instead of their achievements.
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Review by Wade Martin in SRM 334 (section 1)

Oscar Pistorius, an Olympic runner, is accused of killing his girlfriend and model Reeva Steenkamp. He believed there was a break in at his home and shot through a bathroom door mistaking Steenkamp for a robber. There are many questions about what really happened but all the facts are still not known. Pistorius was recently granted bail and will be free until trial. Pistorius is known as one the greatest runners and inspirational stories in the world. He just recently became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics and became the media’s hero to all of South Africa. Pistorius's life was all changed in one night. He went from one of Time’s magazines most influential people to murderer in a matter of hours. Pistorius is a great example of how the media can build a person up to get a great story and bring the person back down just as fast. 

Pistorius may be guilty but in a country where violence is a major issue, there is a chance it really was an accident. In the past, Pistorius may not have been automatically seen him as a murderer but instead as heartbroken man who made a mistake. The evolution of media has created writers looking for readers anyway they can get it, even if the story is not fully developed. One columnist used Pistorius’s misfortune to go from relatively unknown local reporter to a reporter with a couple hundred thousand twitter followers. He gained this following just by live tweeting from the bail hearing. It has come to a point where a reader can get up to the second updates on the case just by following a South African reporter.

This story is relevant because of social media. Pistorius is not only on trial with the South African government but every human being around the world with a smart phone. It is also relevant because media has changed over the years from covering only what they felt they had too, to know doing whatever is necessary to get readers and attention.

"'More than able to hold her own,' girl gets boot from Catholic football league"

From CNN

Review by Danielle Colassard in SRM 334 (section 2)

Caroline Pla is an 11-year-old girl who has been playing football for the Catholic Youth Organization since she was in Kindergarten. For the past two years, she has been dominating the league and knocking down her opponents. Out of 2,500 participants within in 46 football programs, she is the only girl playing for CYO. Unfortunately she stopped playing last season because the Archdiocese started enforcing the “no girls policy.” Her coach Chip Ross said she is more than capable of holding her own on the football field, as she had been doing it since she was five years old. He thinks she should be able to play because it “calls out players that can hang or not hang” and she can. Caroline’s story was kept under wraps until the season ended. Once the season ended and she was kicked out of the league, the story hit major news sources. 

The media grasped onto this story, and she had many articles written about her, as well as interview requests. Huffington Post, Forbes, MSNBC, ABC, CNN, Yahoo Sports, and other Philadelphia area blogs wrote about this story. According to http://www.philly.com, she has become a “media darling” and has done interviews with Ellen Degeneres and Headline News. People find this situation to be infuriating because she should be able to play this sport. She knows she is not going professional, but she should be allowed to play in the CYO especially because she can hold her own. The media is showing the CYO that she is a strong girl and can hold her own by knocking down boys. This story shows that girls can do almost everything boys can do. Just because she’s a girl playing a “boy’s sport,” doesn’t mean she should not be in the league.
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Review by Chelsea Weber in SRM 334 (section 2)

Our current event is on a young 11 year old girl, Catherine Pla, who has been playing football for 6 years and recently found out she would be banned from the team. Catherine Pla was inspired to play football after watching her older brother play, and eventually began her football career when she was five in the Pop Warner league. She then signed up to play tackle football with the Catholic Youth Organization in fifth grade. During her second season of playing with the CYO, Pla was told that she would no longer be able to play, because according to the CYO handbook, football is a full-contact sport, which meant no girls allowed. Caroline’s family and friends, disturbed by the rule, decided to start a online petition to encourage the CYO to change its boys-only rule. This story has caught the attention of many, including TV talk show host Ellen Degeneres. Right now, Catherine is waiting for a final decision on the rule that will be made in March.

After reading this article, I believe that in this world we should be past determining who gets to play what sport according to gender. Catherine Pla has every right to fight for her right to play tackle football with the CYO. People need to stand up against this type of discrimination, and I think the media is a perfect way to get voices heard and stories out to the public. This story relates to our sports media class because the media is getting Catherine’s voice heard and that of thousands of others supporting her. People like Ellen Degeneres are encouraging her millions of followers to sign Pla’s petition and hopefully get the CYO to change its rule, but also get many other sport organizations that are still implementing boys-only rules to change their ways and let there be gender equality in sports.

"Dwight Howard shrugs off remarks"

From ESPN.com

Review by Jazmon Gwathmey in SRM 334 (section 1)

Throughout his career Kobe has been a power house player that has dominated the league in different ways. Though his career has been very successful, this season has been one of the toughest seasons that he has had to deal with thus far. From getting new players traded to his team like Dwight Howard who dominated the paint for the Orlando Magic to Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns. The whole controversy with Kobe making remarks about his team and if there fair of foul remarks. The way that he goes about confronting his teammates and then the way that the media takes those comments have given a lot of people different feelings about Kobe. He bad mouths his teammates and coaches out of anger and it is not only effecting Kobe but his teammates too. The media has played a crucial role by making the situations more than what they really should be. For example when Kobe was talking about Howard's shoulder issue most of what he said was out of anger saying that Howard either needs to suck it up and play or stay off the court and stop trying to play and not contribute anything for the team. In the second video about Pau Gasol, Kobe thinks that Gasol should be the one stepping up and being more aggressive when he can’t get and open shot. The Lakers should be dominating the west coast they have one of the greatest all-around players on their team with one of the best point guards and power house players in the paint.

Kobe had made remarks to the media about his team not to down them or make them feel like nothing but he makes the remarks because he knows what is takes to win a championship and how hard everyone has to work to get there, and that’s why the media is trying to show if its fair for Kobe to say the things he says or is it foul should he have kept the comments to himself instead of saying them out of anger. 

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Review by Crystal Ross in SRM 334 (section 1)

This article is about Dwight Howard’s response to Kobe’s comment about his injury. Dwight does not believe that Kobe should have anything to say about his injury. He thinks the only person that should have anything to say is the doctor, who has decided that his shoulder was messed up. 

I do not think that Kobe should have said what he said about Dwight Howard to the media. I think that if Kobe wanted Howard or thought that Howard was capable of playing that he should of went to him as a man and a teammate and said what he had to say to Howard. Kobe should of went to Howard in private and spoke his mind. Even though I do not agree with what Kobe said to the media, I understand why he said it. Howard is one of the key players the Lakers need to have a winning season and to make it to the playoffs. During this season, Howard really hasn’t been dominating like he should be. He’s been hurt a lot. I think a lot of what Kobe did was out of frustration. I also do not think that Kobe disrespected Howard, he was just explaining that Howard has not been on a championship team therefore he do not know what it is like to work for a championship.

This article is related to our class because it deals with what a NBA player told media reporters. He spoke out to the media, which shows the fans that there are some disputes within the team. It also gives the media a chance to make things seem worst then what they actually are. If there was controversy within the team, it is most likely worst after this.

"Meet Titus, the ultimate basketball trick-shot artist…oh yeah, he's 2 years old"

From RYOT

Review by Calvin Parson, Jr. in SRM 334 (section 2)

Countless videos of individuals performing trick shots have been posted on the web over the years. Whether it’s professional athletes taking full court shots after practice, a group of Notre Dame football players and their rendition of water pong, or a Heisman Trophy winner throwing a football from ridiculous heights into a basketball hoop, these videos are always amusing to the public. Media outlets always seem to be on top of these types of videos. Footage like this has a tendency to spread through social media sites, and ultimately land on major news television networks.

In the case of two-year-old Titus Ashby, his quick trip to fame was no different. What started as a trick shot he made to impress his grandmother, turned into over 7 million YouTube hits and counting, and numerous interviews on national television. People across the globe are wondering what the next step is for young Titus in regards to diaper endorsements, his future with basketball, and when he will start being recruited by college coaches. However, most people are overlooking one very important fact: he is only two years old. Titus is still three years away from entering the public school system. At two years old, some children have not yet been successfully potty trained and Titus is still six months removed from baby food.

This is yet another example of how the media can exploit individuals in lieu of a great story. Hopefully, this early stardom will have no negative effect on the life of young Titus and his early love for the game of basketball.
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Review by Danielle Poplawski in SRM 334 (section 2)
Titus Ashby is a two-year-old boy who has become a YouTube sensation after his dad posted a three minute long video showcasing his basketball trick shots. The video was posted on February 3rd and currently has over 7 million views. It was so popular that he was interviewed on the TODAY show this past Thursday and also received a shout out on Good Morning America. 

In the video titled Unbelievable Little Kid Does A Trick Shot, Titus is shown making baskets effortlessly from a variety of distances and places such as from the bottom of a staircase and at Chuck E. Cheese. The clips used were shot during a six month period beginning when Titus was only 18 months old. His dad, Joseph Ashby, posted the video in the hope of it going viral. Most recently he has been contacted by the Dallas Mavericks along with other various members of the media.

This video is relevant to the course because, without social media and communications, the video would not have been such a success. Videos such as this one are often used as feature stories for media outlets. Given that Titus is only two years old, it could be debated that the media is exploiting him. Because he is so young, he does not really understand what is going on or why he is receiving such attention.

A major concern about the media attention Titus is receiving is that playing basketball and shooting hoops could quickly change from being a fun activity to become more of a job or task that he feels he is required to do. As of this moment, it is evident that he enjoys making baskets. However, if people continue to ask him to do it, he may grow tired of the game and move on to something else.

"Nike's new marketing mojo"

From CNN Money

Review by Chris Wyvill in KIN 332

Nike has spent the time and resources to make sure that they adapt and take advantage of the opportunities that the future holds. They have anticipated a shift in marketing and have created products that their customers desire. Through the sale of these products they allow their consumers to help market their product as they connect with other customers and provide Nike with data they can use to further meet the needs and wants of their customer.

I think that this has been a very good investment for Nike as they continue to lead their industry into the future. Through various innovative and interactive technologies, Nike makes their own lives as marketers and the lives of their customers more enjoyable. Their products give them feedback about their customers while social media provides a greater connection as well; whether it is through Facebook, Twitter, or the sites their athletes track performances.

"Head Injuries in Football"

From the New York Times (1, 2) and NBC Sports

Review by Matthew Kaiser in SRM 334 (section 2)

For our current event, Ryan and I chose to write about how concussions have impacted sport and the media’s role in that impact. Of the articles we used as evidence for our topic, the two that apply best were the articles on Bernard Pollard’s comments on how the NFL is changing the rules to try and remove such injuries and how he subsequently feels the sport will not last much longer as a result. This article basically talks about what Bernard Pollard said during the Super Bowl Media Day and how he feels that players getting faster and stronger completely contradict the direction the league is going in regards to player safety. The other article being President Obama’s comments about not letting his son play football because these injuries are so prevalent. In the topic of the Super Bowl, President Obama chose to speak on his worries about the game, specifically college. He feels the game should gradually change to ensure the health of its players.

I feel as though concussions will always be a part of sports, particularly football. There are subtle changes that can occur in other sports, but football there cannot be much without ruining the game. The emphasis on power and speed is greater than ever, so as players only continue to get bigger so will the collisions. Taking too much of the collision factor out of the game is basically turning it into flag football. This topic is relevant because it shows how big a role the media has played in changing the different sports. New rules are being pursued constantly in just about every sport, when a few years ago the topic was practically nonexistent. As the media stepped up its coverage of concussions and the long term effects that former athletes struggle with, we suddenly saw these games being altered to try and remove such injuries. Without the media, I’m not sure this topic is ever directly confronted like is today. 

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Review by Ryan Fitzgerald in SRM 334 (section 2)

Our current event was on the impact of the media on the portrayal of concussions in sport. Recently many players have filed lawsuits against the NFL for negligent actions concerning concussions and the long-term effects. Starting in the early part of the 2000’s the media began to cover the issue and started causing rule changes in professional sports, due to the concerns expressed from players and fans. The media played a large part in speeding up the process of rule changes and how people viewed continuous blows to the head. As a result of multiple players committing suicide and realizing the long-term effects of blows to the head, the NFL has started a brain bank for players to donate their brains to be examined after they pass. This has allowed the media to pick about the findings in these situations and express their concern to the public. Without the media, the topic of concussions would not be seen as a serious threat to athletes. 

As an athlete with multiple concussions, I feel the increased media coverage on the topic and the changes being made are important. Throughout the past decade or so, the media has picked up their coverage on concussions and the health concerns associated with them. Moving forward I feel many aspects of contact sports will change in order to eliminate constant blows to the head. My hope is that parents of young athletes realize and take into account the true damage concussions place on a developing child’s brain. I hope to see changes in adolescent contact sports and more research done on ways to help monitor when an athlete suffers a concussion.

"Michael Jordan vs LeBron James: All-Time Greats Go 1-On-1 ... Verbally"

From the Huffington Post

Review by Michael Herndon in SRM 334 (section 1)

Tiger Woods is said to be the best golfer ever, Wayne Gretzky as the best hockey player ever, and Michael Jordan is considered to be the best basketball player ever. As for basketball, LeBron James has, at least, started to come into the picture when talking about best basketball players. In the article that we chose to base our presentation off of, there is some indirect conversation between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. In this paper I want to summarize the article, show how the media has talked about this topic, and describe how I feel about the scenario at hand.

There are multiple articles that try to compare Michael Jordan and LeBron James, but this article shows how they have indirectly been conversing. The main point of the article is that Michael Jordan states that he would rather take Kobe Bryant on his team over LeBron James because of the amount of championships each player has won. A couple days later Lebron James comes back in an interview stating that he doesn’t think the best basketball player should be determined by how many championships a player has won. The second half of the article then goes on to describe how LeBron James has gone on to set a record for most thirty point games, while shooting over sixty percent from the field.

This time of the year is one of the biggest times for basketball fans; Michael Jordan’s birthday week and the NBA all-star weekend. This year there has been another element added to the mix, which is the record LeBron James has now set. The media has loved the timing of this because they are talking about Michael Jordan and LeBron James at the same time for multiple different reasons. It makes it very easy to start to compare the two basketball players, and adding that the two players have made different comments about the topic makes it even better for media. It has been talked about every single day for the past two weeks on ESPN.

This is a tough subject to try and analyze when I’m on the extreme side of Michael Jordan being the best basketball player ever. The one thing that I don’t like about this article, and how the media has been comparing the two players, is that LeBron James is half way through his career, while Michael Jordan’s career is finished. In the article, the number of rings is brought up by both Michael Jordan and LeBron James in some way. I don’t think you should compare the two players until both careers are at an end. Although you could compare the two at a certain point of Michael Jordan’s career, it still doesn’t work because Michael Jordan did so well in the second half of his career, which LeBron has yet to experience for himself.

This is relevant to this course because it is a big social media topic. It has been talked about on ESPN for weeks straight and there has been a blowup on twitter about this topic with different hash-tags, such as: #MichaelJordanvsLebronJames or #MJvsLJ. There are more and more people every day comparing these two basketball players and it’s through multiple different channels of social media. 

This is a social media topic that I think will be talked about forever. LeBron James is only half way through his career and there will be people comparing him and Michael Jordan until someone else comes along that has a chance of being better. I’m very excited to see what happens in the future, whether Lebron James wins more championships or not.
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Review by Cecily Leahy in SRM 334 (section 1)

In this article it discusses the argument between whether or not LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan This debate comes up during the week of Michael Jordan's birthday and was quoted in the Huffington Times saying that LeBron could never complete to Kobe Bryant. The main argument for LeBron being less great was the fact that he has only one championship compared to the five of Bryant. This comparison brings up the question as to how do people compare the achievements and skills of players. The problem that arises with this is that all players have their strength and weaknesses. It is unfair to simply judge a player on championships wins and not how the player is a whole. It’s similar to the cliche of you can not judge a book by its cover.

The article is relevant to this course because it demonstrates how what you cover in the media and the way you present it impacts the viewers reactions. Athletes are never are safe with what they say, whether to press or through social media. The media will take what they say and run with it. It also gives the media the opportunity to shine what was said in the manner they want to it be portrayed. The article proves to a lesson for athletes to makes sure they are careful to what they say and how they respond to what is said about them. Media coverage is not like use how it was back in the day where reporters would not say “we would have to report that if we saw that” mentioned in class referring to Babe Ruth running naked through a train one day. Media wants coverage and are always looking for a story. In the article, Washington Post columnist John Feinstein, mentioned that LeBron should have taken the humble route and not tired to spike another heated argument.

"97% Of NFL Players With History Of Head Trauma Show Signs Of Brain Disease"

From Business Insider and the Daily Mail

Review by Josh Revitch in SRM 334 (section 3)

Head injuries have always been a concerning topic in the NFL. After Junior Seau’s death last May by committing suicide, talk about the correlation of traumatic brain injuries and death skyrocketed. After this event, many former players sued the NFL due to the lack of information given to players about the long-term effects of head injuries and concussions. In early January this year, the autopsy of Junior Seau showed that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease caused by multiple and continuous blows to the head. From this discovery, researchers examined the brains of deceased, former NFL players. Scientists discovered that 31 out of the 34 brains they looked at had stage three or four CTE including players such as Dave Duerson, Cookie Gilchrist and John Mackey.

Social media allows for people to ask questions, give advice, and speak their mind about this topic. There are signs of concern about this topic as many parents have children playing football. The NFL is going to contribute money to researchers to discover how to prevent these types of head injuries. Teams are also going to have neurological specialists on their sidelines to give evaluations of players that get concussions during games. Hopefully the rule for allowing athletes to play post-concussion gets stricter as research shows detrimental, long-term side effects of head injuries and concussions.

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Review by Matt Dumblauskas in SRM 334 (section 3)


Concussions have emerged as a major safety issue in football during the past couple of years. This article addresses some of the steps that the NFL is taking and has taken in the past to help prevent or reduce the number of concussions. Recently the NFL has partnered with Boston University and is willing to give $1 million or more to fund independent research projects to help find a solution to this concussion problem. The article also mentions that NFL alumni association is encouraging players to donate their brains to help with the research process. The NFL is also is investing in independent research that can give insight into how helmets can be more protective. This includes how the helmet is worn and used, along with the make of the helmet.

In the past the league has been cautious about concussions, but has not looked into fixing the problem to this extent. When a player used to get a concussion, the team waited for symptoms to decrease and then that player was eligible to play. Now that all of this research shows a lasting effect of head trauma, I think that the game will change. I do not think that players will necessarily play the game differently because playing the game to their top potential is number one on the list of priorities for most players. That being said I do believe that the style of play will be taught differently at a young age. I also feel that these new steps are going to cause more parents to not let their kids play the game. The media aspect of this topic allows the spread of concussion awareness and is helping to spark a change. With the recent death of Junior Seau and the fact that his brain had CTE, the public is starting to look for answers. We as viewers do love to see big hits, but we do not want to see our favorite players being severely injured or even dying due to head trauma complications. Fans are now using social media to ask questions and show concern.

"Trial by media of Oscar Pistorius: facts, guesses and spin surround Reeva death"

From The Independent 

Review by Matt Nasca in SRM 334 (section 2)

This past week, on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2013 Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was involved in the murder of his current girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. She shot multiple times through a locked door while she was in a locked bathroom. The gun that was used to shoot her belonged to Pistorius and they were the only two that were known to be in the house at the time. The exact details and the trail have yet to start but currently Pistorius is sitting in a South African jail awaiting his bond hearing, which will most likely be set at a very high amount because the prosecution is trying to charge him with premeditated murder. So while we wait for he trail to begin and for the actual facts to come out, the media is having a field day coming up with all sorts of theories and reasons why Pistorius did what he did.

This should make you wonder where exactly they are getting their facts. Pistorius is currently locked in a South African jail and the only legal document to be released about the incident is an affidavit by Pistorius basically saying that he thought Steenkamp was an intruder in his house and that is why he shot her. The media did not seem to mind coming up with their own ideas. There were unconfirmed rumors about a possible ‘roid rage attack on his girlfriend which is what killed him, ignoring the facts that he got tested repeatedly for the Olympics and Paralympics. They said he used a cricket bat to beat her when he said he used the bat to pry open the door after he shot through it. The media also claimed she was having an affair which led to the murder.

All these stories are currently just rumors the media has started. So you must ask yourself, how good is the media? They are tarnishing Oscar Pistorius’ image based on an incident that no one knows the truth to just yet. Can Pistorius still be considered “innocent until proven guilty?” What happens to his reputation after the trial if he is found innocent? The media is getting viewer’s attention at the unfortunate expense on Oscar Pistorius. I am not saying that he is innocent or guilty, but I think the media should wait for the facts before they report on the case. Again if he ends up being guilty, because of the media he will always carry that negative image with him.

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Review by Charles Higby in SRM 334 (section 2)

This article goes over the facts and spins the media has provided of Olympic “bladerunner” Oscar Pistorius and death of his former girlfriend Reeva Steencamp. Since her death, Pistorius has been the center of negative media attention that created a horrible image in the public eye. Due to South Africa’s slow paced justice system, reporters have released multiple reports filled with accusations about Pistorius even though police have not issued any statements or spoken with media sources. These accusations have been repeated so many times that many who look to media sources for information have come to believe these rumors as facts. The allegations include a bloodied cricket bat, a secret love triangle, and even the role of steroids in a “roidrage” attack when in fact the only statements released by South African police were that there was a shooting accident involving Pistorius and his lover, she was dead, and the athlete had been charged with murder. The article also states in order to hold back the wide range of negative coverage, Pistorius hired PR expert Stuart Higgins who represented him during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Their main concern is that in this charged environment with most of the world’s news media reporting the story, the athlete will not receive a fair trial. The involvement of Mr. Higgins in this case can be seen as an example of the British news media’s power in influencing a global story. In my opinion, the media’s role in this case has already done its part in ruining Pistorius’ image, but due to a single judge making a decision on solely the facts of the case, I believe the trial will be fair and just. This article is relevant because it provides an example of how the media can take a major sport story with minimal facts, and use the power of media to influence and persuade its audience one way or another.

"Should College Athletes Be Paid?"

From The College Fix and Huffington Post

Review by Eric Southard in KIN 332

In the article, “Paying College Athletes: Not If, But How”, Rachel Cohen and Ralph D. Russo discuss the controversial topic of should college athletes be paid and if so, how should they be paid. Being a big supporter of paying college athletes, I was happy to read that Mark Emmert, President of the NCAA, is finally starting to realize that college athletes should receive some compensation while attending school. Emmert supports a stipend for these athletes, a stipend that would cover costs beyond tuition, books, and fees, which the athletes’ scholarships currently cover. Both coaches and players agree that college athletes should be paid, mainly stating that these athletes have no time to find a job and are always busy with school and their individual sports. They compare being a student-athlete to working a full time job. 

The biggest impact sports marketing has on paying college athletes is through the television deals and all the money these deals generate for the universities. In the article, Cohen and Russo talk about the lucrative TV deals the NCAA recently agreed to for football and men’s basketball. To broadcast the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, more notably known as “March Madness”, CBS and Tuner Sports agreed to a deal with the NCAA that is worth on average 770 million dollars a year. As for the new college football playoffs, which starts in 2014, the NCAA agreed to a television deal worth around 470 million dollars annually to the conferences. Instead of using all this money towards increasing the salary of college coaches, upgrading facilities, etc, the money should be put towards stipends to pay the “workers”, the ones who actually generate the money, the athletes.

"David Beckham joins Paris St-Germain and will play for free"

From BBC.com

Review by Gene Daniels in KIN 332

David Beckham is arguably the world’s most popular soccer player, and when he does something it seems like it is covered on an even bigger stage; his actions are cosmic. At the age of 37, Beckham knows his days of playing the beautiful game are waning but there is still some good football (soccer) left in his legs. On the 31st of January, Beckham was introduced as the newest signing for Paris Saint-Germain. PSG had fallen on hard economic times in the late 90s and early 2000s but due to a restructuring of ownership and finances, the club has become one of the most lucrative and endowed clubs in the world over the last 4-5 years. Beckham answered several customary questions in his introductory press conference and seemed very at ease and excited for the newest chapter or his illustrious playing career. He then dropped the bomb on the whole room and informed the media that he would not be receiving a salary for his services during his 5 month contract but rather would be donating the money to a French children’s charity organization. 

This decision is one that looks extremely good for both PSG and for Beckham. Many know him as a humanitarian and an overall good person, so this move is something that really fits the mold because we all know Beckham has enough money to live extremely comfortably for the rest of his life. PSG on the other hand has come to have a sinister reputation in the soccer world. Many believe that their wealth as a club and subsequent buying habits for players taint the game as we know it and undermine what many other clubs around the world are trying to do by developing young players and building club loyalty. This move comes at a very convenient time for the club, which leads many people to believe that it is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

In his press conference and ultimately in the article, Beckham discusses that he made the move for “footballing reasons” and that his wife and children would be staying back in London. He also discusses the potential he sees in PSG and their players and his excitement to work with Carlo Ancelotti (a former manager of his with AC Milan) again. After listening to Beckham, one would think the move was made for soccer reasons and that the decision to play for free is just Beckham and the club being hospitable and fulfilling a social obligation to the community but we will never really know.

Wherever David Beckham goes the money will follow. His sponsorship deals will now increase awareness for and have a connection with his new team and I am sure they will see a ridiculous spike in merchandise revenue, as his jersey has been one of the most popular selling pieces of soccer merchandise since he bursted on the scene at Manchester United. The club will tap into his as a resource for their marketing campaigns and I’m sure the Paris business community will reach out to Beckham as well. More specifically to the contract, the public image and popularity of both Beckham and PSG will soar and they will definitely see benefits from the decision to play for free. Whether they have made this move for David Beckham the player, or David Beckham the personality PSG has done extremely well here. They have brought in the most marketed player in all of soccer, and while doing so have looked like the knight in shining armor by coordinating with Beckham to donate to charity.

"Crazy Like a You Know What Fox Sports 1 is poised to become a cable heavyweight; CBS, NBC properties expected to take a hit"

From AdWeek

Review by Steven Golob in KIN 332

The article I chose to review and critique is titled “Crazy Like a You Know What” and can be viewed on Adweek.com. I chose this particular article because it begs the question that I have been wondering, personally, for years now; why is there no sports network on television that even comes close to rivaling the coverage that ESPN gets? This article introduces not an answer to this question, but a definitive step in the right direction. The new network titled Fox Sports 1 is introduced and explained further.

Fox Sports 1 is Fox’s newest network that they plan to unveil at the end of the summer in the month of August. It is set to become the “rival” network of the ever-famous ESPN networks. It is set to take over the spot that is filled by the “Speed” network, which is broadcasted nationwide in roughly 81 million homes. With the contracts that they have obtained with different sports and leagues in America and worldwide, Fox is increasing these viewing numbers to 90 million households in the country. They have obtained contracts with the MLB, NCAA basketball conferences of the PAC-12 and the Big 12, Nascar, UFC, and FIFA. The largest of these will be the deal with the MLB, and over the span of the entire deal, it will earn them $4.2 billion.

The Fox Sports 1 network hopes to put “pretender” networks in their place, and hopefully, make a statement to the public that ESPN is not the only sports provider on television. Although they will not make much of a dent in ESPN’s physical earnings, they are still looking at things in terms of being a successful network. Success (not necessarily being the absolute best) is what is important to the owners.

The Timeout with Mike Barber, Richmond Times-Dispatch

Cara Yaworske, an SRM 334: Introduction to Sport to Sport Media student, sat down with Mike Barber from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.  Mr. Barber is the beat writer for Virginia Tech athletics.

"ESPN to televise college playoff"

From ESPN.com and Sports Media Watch

Review by Will Taylor in SRM 334 (section 3)

The BCS has always been criticized for how it picks the teams for the National Championship Game and people used to think that the teams that weren’t in the game didn’t receive a fair chance to prove themselves. Finally, they implemented a culture change in college football; the BCS playoff system. Now there is a much fairer shot for all the teams represented by the BCS to reach the championship. ESPN of course was the one to sign the media deal with the BCS to cover all the playoff games, the national championship, as well as other bowl games. It was a twelve year deal, from the 2014 season on to the 2025 season.The deal was worth over $7 billion dollars, and it covered all facets of media; TV, radio, mobile TV, ESPN Deportes, as well as all international media outlets of the game. The deal is huge, and could bring over $1 billion dollars in revenue. Another way that the BCS playoff system affects mass media is in the advertising before, during, and at each event. The amount of ways to advertise around this event is sure to bring ESPN as well as the BCS a huge amount of revenue. This topic is relevant to this class because it deals with stakeholders; like the universities, the BCS, and the fans. It also deals with mass media outlets, like television, the internet, and radio. It also deals with this class because we’re all avid sports fans, and this deal could revolutionize how we view college football, and sports in general.

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Review by Ben Edsall in SRM 334 (section 3)

The current event Will and I chose to present to the class was the new college football playoff system. It has been talked about for years and will finally be implemented for the 2014 season. The playoffs will consist of four teams that are chosen from a 15 member committee. This eliminates the old system of the computers calculating what two teams would be in the championship. Hopefully the new system will diminish a majority of complaints from the old system, which made some controversial decisions of which teams played in the championship. There will now be six major bowl games which consist of two groups, the contract bowls and the host bowls.

One major influence for the new system was the potential revenue from media rights. ESPN signed a 12 year deal worth $470 million which gives them rights for TV, radio, mobile TV, games in 3D, ESPN Deportes, and internationally. This contract is projected to generate annual revenues ranging from $600 million - $1.5 billion. That amount of revenue will attract other networks to join the contract which will raise the bidding price. The increase in revenue is a positive impact, but there are also other pros and cons.

Additional pros to the new playoff system are that it provides more advertising opportunities, teams that are not powerhouses now have a shot at reaching the championship, and it removes an easy schedule that forces teams to make the championship based on performance. A few cons are that there could be some preferential treatment towards the bigger conferences, other bowl games will be viewed as less important, and it takes away revenue for teams that do not reach the playoffs. Even though this system is not perfect it is a step in the right direction and hopefully will continue to improve in the future.

This topic is relevant to the class because it plays a major role within the broadcast media. We discussed in class how television is the most dominant way of providing content to the public, and this is clearly demonstrated by ESPN signing a huge contract to control the market. Another investment was in social media to help them expand and generate revenues from other areas. Social media is taking over society and with major investments into the market it will benefit the networks and companies tremendously.