MINI EXTENDED ESSAY

Physical Education

Impacts Of Media On
Sports

Dipan Jain

Mr. Gabriel/Mr. Milin/Mr. Uday

28th January, 2016

Word Count: 1,959 (final draft) (excluding

references)
 Contents

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Sports and television
4. Sports and Internet
5. Social media and sports
6. Social media and its impacts on Athletes
performance
7. Conclusion
8. Acknowledgements
9. References
 Abstract

The aim of this analysis is to interpret the impacts social

media implies on Sports. This study works towards the
understanding of how social media plays a vital role
amongst sports association. The study of sport and the
media has been a popular topic in recent years. This gives
the world a larger idea of sports and increases the
knowledge about those sports, through highlights,
documentaries on great sport players or the sport event,
quiz shows based on sports. It also provides us up-to-
date information on the events in the world of sports.
This also allows the events/teams/individuals to have
their own websites where one can find all sorts of
information about the event/team/individual. Newspapers
and magazines also post predictions and results of the
matches and can (omit) also hold press conferences with
teams. These are the reasons as to why I chose this
research question.
(153- words)
 Introduction

Social media provides a highly accessible communication

base for sports administrators, fans, players, coaches
and educators (for example: 14 million Australians use
Facebook daily). There are many positive aspects of
social media, like they introduce the general public into
the sport. The impact of media and live coverage can also
provide access to sport for people physically or
economically cant go to the playing area. However now
there are worries that eventually this trend could go too
far; as we can see define in attendances at the playing
area. In fact it can be argued that television coverage
can prevent the user from having the experience of a live
spectator. So predominantly this essay will explain how
sports is impacted by different types of media mediums,
like; television, internet and social media, and also about
how social media can affect an individuals performance.
 Sports and Television

Television is clearly the major medium in the context of

sports. Like radio both allow live reporting but since
television transmits lives images also and not just sound,
television viewers have an even stronger feeling of being
there compared to radio listeners. So now with TV, major
sporting occasions are not only for observers who witness
the match in the stadium, however now its additionally
accessible for some millions through the live scope
appeared on their TV sets. This medium of media also has
its own added values, such as; close-ups, slow motion,
replays, highlights, analysis and different angles of
different cameras.

To be a part of this industry, sporting individuals and

managers allow interference from the television side.
Media managers at times also decide, what time the show
will start, how long will it run and several sports have also
accepted changes in the sports just to make the sport
more suited for television. Media can also bring in awards
to make the sport more interesting and get more views
by people trying to vote for the awards. Commercial
breaks are inflicted time-outs by the media. There are
cases where the marriage between sport and media is so
tight that a divorce could lead to bankruptcy for
individuals and sports.
Early television sports faced many technical problems,
like; cameras were immobile and close-ups were
impossible. So in the early days boxing seemed to be the
most suitable sport for television due to its small
dimensions. Later, down the years new technology
brought smaller but more mobile cameras with various
functions, satellite transmission and color TV. These
improvements were a major step forward to the sports
industry.

Sports and Internet

Since the mid-1990s, even the Internet could convey live

pictures and news of the sport event. However, there is a
certain capacity of memory up to which ones computer
can store this form of sport broadcasting. Therefore
television still is the most crucial medium for sports
broadcasting. But today the Internet offers many
fascinating options for the sport viewers.

The Internet provides a fast worldwide transmit of data,

so it is more often for the transmission of short and
recent sports news. The official websites of the sport
events, teams or individuals provide latest news and
updates over the Internet for their fans to view. These
services are exceptionally well known, particularly in the
course of enormous sport competition. The official sites
of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and The
London 2012 Summer Olympics recorded billions of
viewpoints within of a few weeks. Today the internet also
provides the fans some sort of extra entertainment by
creating online games like, Fantasy Premier League, due
to which people get interested in the sport and tend to
watch every match to see how their players performed
during the game. This also makes them visit their web
page daily to check their scores and how well they are
competing against their friends.

Websites are easy to create and visit; with the help of a

search engine, fans can easily receive every specific
statistic and data about special topics. So the World
Wide Web is the best possible place for sports statistic
and data and also for those sports, which are mistreated
and abandoned in other media. One of the first websites
fortunately covering a sports event was the Whitbread
around-the-world sailing race in 1997.

Social media and Sports

Now, with the help of the progress of social media over

the last few years, it has become easier to find long lost
friends, relatives and meet new people daily. Despite
that, the sports world tried to keep out of it. Then came
the change in mid-2011, by which every league, team,
player, and even sport administrator had their own
Facebook pages and twitter accounts. This crossed the
line, which now allowed the fans to get into the sport
mans life and also giving the fans too much information.
Through this fans can now get into their favorite
athletes life better than ever before.

On Twitter now people can say something based on a

rumor, or something they heard from
somewhere/someone and then it will get rewetted and so
on till it makes a major story that may or may not be
true. This then ends up happening about, on a week-to-
week premise.

The media has upheld few changes within sporting events.

This is done mainly to fit for the television viewers, one
of the those changes are, the names on the back of
players shirts to help the commentators and fans
watching on the television sets to distinguish amongst the
players. Large numbers are now also posted on runner t-
shirt in athletics so that commentators can differentiate
between them. There have also been alterations in the
apparatus used by sportsmen and women. In tennis, for
example, the ball color was changed to yellow from white,
to benefit television audiences to be able to see it
clearly. A white ball could have been more visible for the
players, so the change of color of ball puts them at
problem. Media coverage also implements on the times
that sport is viewed, the days of authentic 3pm Saturday
afternoon kick-offs in football are now over. Now the
kick offs are stretched out throughout the week in
succession to be televised. This of course impacts upon
the players. Due to this now they have to play matches
more frequently and more in matches in less amount of
time. Players fatigue quickly, causing injuries and lack of
form, affecting the clubs fortunes and opportunities.
Fans when are unable to reach in time for the 8pm kick-
offs on a Wednesday now decide to stay at home, decide
on watching it from their couch. During the football
World Cup in 1994 the television channels and
organizations had a go at introducing quarters instead of
the usual halves. This was in aim to fit in more
advertisements. In Cricket every stoppage is filled with
an advertisement pause even if it last less than 1 minute
long. This interferes with the flow of the match and the
experience of the viewer.

The media has also affected upon how players are now
looked upon. Medias interference in sports has moreover
turned sports into an entertainment programme and a
form of business. The medias portrayal of players is such
that they can exert influence on what a nation thinks of
the sportsmen. The English media surprisingly is
legendary for building players up, only to knock them
down. For instance after David Beckhams expulsion
during the World Cup 98, what the media put in motion
was constructively a hate campaign against him. Now he
is the dearest darling there is to media. Media coverage
has created personalities and heroes, more celebrity and
popularity, rather than sportsperson. They furnish the
front pages as well as back and appear in glossy
magazines.

Social media and its impacts on a

Athletes performance

Numerous athletes are aims of media. Win or lose, their

execution and life is openly dismembered by the media.
Winning brings media glorification and desire, and/or
criticism. Losing delivers negative judgment and more
criticism. Champions risk criticism every time they
perform. One such competitor who gambled media
criticism was Miki Ando.

Miki Ando is a two-time Japanese national figure skating

title-holder and had also achieved the gold medal in the
2004 Junior World champion. She then turned into the
first female skater to successfully complete a quadruple
jump in competition. Ando's athletic execution and
performance was challenged during 2005 and 2006, and
media hypothesis turned negative. The when the
Japanese Skating Federation (JSF) decided on her to be
in its 2006 Olympic lady's figure skating team, the press
said she wasnt worthy of going to Torino. They likewise
disapproved of her for wearing small-scale skirts. The
JSF was so concerned about the fact that media scope
could unpleasantly influence Ando performance and form
as she arranged for the Olympics. The JSF sent formal
composed letters to a few magazine distributers
requesting that they should cut down on their coverage
related to Miki Ando's issues. She then retired at the
age of 25, choosing the life of her child over skating.

Conclusion

To conclude, the relationship between and sports and

media has flourished over the years. over the past
decade, interest in sports has increased immensely with
the aid of media. Now there are many non-educational
books, like biographies, novels and magazines on sports.

The relationship between games, media, and the

publicising business is mature dependent relationship.
This implies all components in that framework get a
decent amount, an offer everybody just gets with the
assistance of others while helping other people. One
could likewise say that the participation of the
aforementioned partners is vital for the survival of them
three. Sports produces news and additionally enjoyment
and leisure values.

The significance of sports an TV has also made it

interesting for media studies. The never-ending list of
book and investigation on and sports and television is
evidence of the building interest. The advancement from
just a few articles of sports to sports-only television
channels also acts as evidence.

Since the category Sports has evolved and gained

importance, the sport journalists are highly respected
and now have more professional competitors.

Medias main aim and good is entertainment. Sports have

the ability to give birth to strong and long lasting images
of sportsmen. The form and presentation of the
sportsperson refines the way people see a nation, a
country or a society. Athletes built with the aid of media
personality, after all that is what every social unit needs.
Good performances, Fine achievements, and Glorious
athletes!

Acknowledgements-
I would like to thank Ms.Vijaya for giving me this project,
and giving me a chance to explore more. I would also like
to thanks Mr.Uday and Mr.Milin to guide me throughout
the essay and helping me to improve.

Unresolved Question-
Without the intense media interest in sport would those
that compete have ever reached the level of celebrity
that they have achieved?

Would sports promote worldwide and also receive

sponsorship without the aid of media?

References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Media_and_Sports

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/investing/business-of-sport/social-media-in-
sport/

http://revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-revision/pe-physical-
education/sport-and-media/how-media-affects-sport

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/pe/participation/1_participati
on_socialcultural_rev2.shtml

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/comc/research/outpost/blog/social-media-
sports.php

http://www.ibtimes.com/how-social-media-affects-college-athletics-
383910

http://www.nhregister.com/article/NH/20120324/NEWS/303249952
http://nationalsels.org/home/?p=888

http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_735978.html#axz
z3wYum8lyE

https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/knowledge_base/organised_spo
rt/sports_administration_and_management/social_media_and_sport

http://www.japancrush.com/2013/stories/scandal-as-top-figure-skater-
has-child-out-of-wedlock.html