Sport Media

Mediated nostalgia, community and nation: a case study of print media representations of the Canadian Football League in crisis and the demise of the Ottawa Rough Riders 1986-1996.

by John Nauright

Published in Sport History Review, 33:2 (2002), 120-135. Coauthored with Phil White.

This article examines the position of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in the context of 1990s Canada, the popular... more This article examines the position of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in the context of 1990s Canada, the popular discourses surrounding it of a nostalgia for an idealized Canada, and the crisis of Canadian identity as the Continent became increasingly integrated after the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Our focus is on a case study of the decline and eventual demise of the Ottawa Rough Riders, a CFL club located in the national capital that traced its roots to 1876, thus being almost as old as Canadian Federation. We examine the media framing of the decline and fall of the Rough Riders, laments for distinctive forms of Canadian sporting culture and the nostalgic frames in which the story was presented.

Making an International Legend: The Media, Pat O’Dea and Midwestern Football in the 1890s and 1930s

by John Nauright

Published in Football Studies, 2:2 (1999).

Pat O’Dea (1872-1962), born in Kilmore, Victoria, Australia, played Australian Rules football briefly for the... more Pat O’Dea (1872-1962), born in Kilmore, Victoria, Australia, played Australian Rules football briefly for the Melbourne Football Club, but made his fame in American football
where he was the star fullback for the University of Wisconsin Badgers between 1896 and 1899. O’Dea’s skills, particularly his massive punting, drop- and place-kicking abilities, were
legendary. He was widely recognised as one of the best players of his day and his record established him as one of the best kickers of all-time in American collegiate football. O’Dea’s story became more intriguing as time progressed, particularly as he disappeared between 1917 and 1934, only to be discovered living under an assumed name in California. O’Dea was brought back triumphantly to Wisconsin where his legend was relived,revived and retold in the early 1930s and at various times through to his death in 1962. Little is known about O’Dea in Australia and he does not appear as a significant figure in many recent discussions of football history in the United States. This article explores the career of Pat O’Dea at the University of Wisconsin and his subsequent ‘reappearance’ and examines press coverage of O’Dea in the late 1890s and again in 1934.

A hapless attempt at swimming': Representations of Eric Moussambani

by John Nauright

published in Critical Arts 17:1/2 (2003), 106-122, co-authored with Tara Magdalinski

One of the most powerful images to emerge from the pool at the Sydney 2000 Olympics was that of Eric Moussambani from... more One of the most powerful images to emerge from the pool at the Sydney 2000 Olympics was that of Eric Moussambani from Equatorial Guinea who swam his heat of the 100-meter freestyle alone after the other two swimmers in his heat were disqualified. Moussambani completed the distance over one minute slower than eventual gold medallist Pieter van den Hoogenband. The media coverage of Moussambani's performance illustrates that the discourses of colonialism, paternalism, and racial stereotyping remain central in the modern Olympic movement. This paper analyses media reports of Moussambani and identifies three main frames used to contextualize his performance at the Olympics. We situate Moussambani's swim within a broader framework that reveals the mechanisms used to display African bodies for the European gaze as well as the paternalist Olympic discourse that seeks to universalize Western sporting practices within a global culture that privileges Western cultural and economic practices.

British pubs, decoder cards, and the future of intellectual property licensing in the European Union after Murphy.

by Anastasios Kaburakis

With Lindholm, J, and Rodenberg, R.

October 4, 2011 marked a new era in global sports media rights. On this day, the Grand Chamber of the European Court... more October 4, 2011 marked a new era in global sports media rights. On this day, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered its judgment in FA Premier League et al. v. QC Leisure et al. & Murphy v. Media Protection Services Ltd (“Murphy”). Murphy decided upon the legality of a scheme whereby the holder of intellectual property rights to a sporting event licenses the right to broadcast the event on a national exclusivity basis.

Recasting Social Media Users as Brand Ambassadors: Opening the Doors to the First ‘Social Suite’

by Avery Holton

Co-authored with Mark Coddington, University of Texas at Austin. Published in Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2012.

Professional sports teams have struggled to incorporate social network sites into their existing branding and media... more Professional sports teams have struggled to incorporate social network sites into their existing branding and media strategies, wrestling with issues of access and trust. This case study examines an innovative effort by one organization, Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians, to create a physical space for online discussion about their team. In that space, called the “Social Suite,” local social media users were given exclusive access to watch the team’s games from a suite, along with access to team staff and information. Through in‐depth interviews and participant observation this study found suite users saw themselves not as members of the media, but as active participants in the team’s own online marketing efforts. This self‐perception corresponded with team executives’ goal to use the suite as a way to reverse negative online discussion about the team by creating a network of influential “brand ambassadors” who spread positive perceptions about the organization. This novel approach—one that illustrates the changing landscape of media and communication
practice and theory—may serve as a model for other sports teams and businesses as they work to integrate the public into their digital and online efforts.

Luxury, Sports and Developments

by Alvaro HIDALGO

Luxury, Sports and Residential Tourism Developments Luxury, Sports and Residential Tourism Developments

Les discours sportifs en proie aux nationalismes et à l'ethnicisation

by Arnaud RICHARD

PhD thesis, December 2009,
Co-directors: Pr Kramsch (UC Berkeley) & Pr Siblot (U. Montpellier 3)

Sports discourses a prey to nationalisms and ethnicization

ABSTRACT

This present research aims... more Sports discourses a prey to nationalisms and ethnicization

ABSTRACT

This present research aims at studying sport discourses and their links with the notion of identity by the act of naming in the discursive construction of a sportman or sportwomen referent. Two major events are considered, the last two big events organized in France : the olympic Games of Albertville 1992 and the soccer world Cup 1998 (won by the French national team). It is par- ticularly focused on the national and ethnic dimensions. Nationality and ethnicity are strongly linked in the imaginery representations of our official grouping. This study is syntactic, seman- tic and argumentative by analyzing both at syntagmatic and dialogical levels. Sports writings are usually close to the Aristotelician genre of epideictic but they tend to be more and more deliberative with some interests from the politics. They borrow some of its elements (termino- logy, syntax, prosody, etc.). Categorization is the link between the studies, confronting most of the time the dialectic of the Same and the Other by constent ingrouping ou outgrouping. This research leads to the conclusion that naming in sports discourses has a lot to tell about the confusions of identities but also about the complexity of social representations.

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Les discours sportifs en proie aux nationalismes et à l’ethnicisation

RÉSUMÉ

Ce travail a pour objet d’étudier les discours sportifs et leurs rapports avec la notion d’identité à partir d’un corpus médiatique réuni autour de deux événements : les derniers Jeux olympiques en France (Albertville 1992) et la dernière coupe du monde du XXe siècle (France 1998 et la victoire de l’équipe nationale). L’analyse est sémantique, syntaxique et argumentative puisque nous étudierons les phénomènes de constructions identitaires dans deux dimensions du dis- cours, le niveau syntagmatique et le niveau dialogique. L’étude des productions de noms de sportifs, associées à leurs potentielles appartenances multiples (clubs, ville, nation, etc.), révèle une forte application du schéma dialectique du Même et de l’Autre. Dans son "écriture", le sport est proche du genre aristotélicien de l’épidictique, mais ses glissements vers le délibératif sont fréquents dans les médias. La politique s’empare de plus en plus de ses spécificités (termino- logiques, syntaxiques, prosodiques, etc.). Nous mettrons en avant des problèmes de confusions entre des critères de catégorisations, en particulier : confusion entre ethnicité et nation. A l’is- sue de cette recherche, la nomination des sportifs nous fait apparaître combien les confusions identitaires existent, mais se jouent à seulement quelques détails du discours.

Les « Bronzés » ne font pas du ski. Discours et Représentations de sportifs africains aux Jeux Olympiques d’Albertville.

by Arnaud RICHARD

Proceedings or chapter published soon
[Actes du Colloque International « Sport et Communication » Université du Mirail, Toulouse, France, PUM (Presses Universitaires du Mirail)]

Il suffit de consulter l’ensemble des médias (presse, radio, télévision, publicité, Internet…) pour constater... more Il suffit de consulter l’ensemble des médias (presse, radio, télévision, publicité, Internet…) pour constater immédiatement l’importance des discours sportifs, et leur diversité. Dans le grand monde du sport, les Jeux Olympiques sont une figure bien à part et bien complexe. Tout d’abord, deux types majeurs se distinguent (Hiver et Été). Ce sont les Jeux d’Hiver qui vont nous intéresser. La base théorique de ce travail sera l’analyse (critique) du discours. Cette étude se propose de mettre en avant la problématique de la nomination avec celle d’athlètes prenant part à la compétition pour des pays africains ou asiatiques. Issus de régions non traditionnellement orientées vers les sports d’hiver et ayant des résultats loin des premiers du classement, nous nous intéresserons à la représentation de ses participants. Souvent décrits comme perdants d’avance ou symboles d’un idéal olympique (la participation primant sur la victoire)…, quelles sont les valeurs olympiques supposées brandit ici ? Y a-t’il une adéquation avec le discours officiel des instances olympiques officielles ? Après une présentation des modes de sélections et de participations des athlètes, nous essaierons de voir quels principes idéologiques ou du moins quels discours se distinguent ou se dissimulent conjointement. Prenant appui sur les fonds audio-visuels de l’INAthèque, nous analyserons deux reportages complets et des remarques éparses enregistrées lors de compétitions (les données sont issues de la télévision française seulement).


Mots clés : Analyse du discours, production de sens, représentation, nomination, identité

Naming is also considering… A media case study of representations of minorities on French television

by Arnaud RICHARD

Draft version

Rire de l’autre. Analyse et enjeux des représentations d’un sportif marocain à la télévision française.

by Arnaud RICHARD

Draft only
Published soon

Nous proposons l’analyse détaillée d’un reportage se focalisant sur le parcours d’un skieur marocain lors des derniers... more Nous proposons l’analyse détaillée d’un reportage se focalisant sur le parcours d’un skieur marocain lors des derniers Jeux olympiques d’hiver organisés en France (Albertville 1992). À travers la représentation de l’Autre, c’est notre rapport à lui que nous exprimons. Grâce aux outils de l’analyse du discours et de la sociolinguistique appliquée aux médias, nous proposons d’observer plus particulièrement le fonctionnement de la catégorisation et du stéréotype. Le reportage en question met en scène un individu qui devient le parangon de sa nation. Les glissements des commentaires journalistiques montrent une prise de position biaisée du journaliste qui s’écarte petit à petit de la description vers la raillerie. Cette attitude est une des illustrations d’une forme de discrimination.

Making Strides in TV Broadcasts of Womenʼs Sports: NBCʼs 2010 Olympic Hockey Coverage

by Heather Muir

‘Sectarianism’ and Scottish football: Critical reflections on dominant discourse and press commentary

by john kelly

Published in hard journal copy in December 2011.

This article provides a critical discourse analysis of Scottish newspaper reports relating to football and... more This article provides a critical discourse analysis of Scottish newspaper reports relating to football and ‘sectarianism’ in Scotland. It claims that there is a powerful and longstanding ideological ‘framing’ of sectarianism in sections of the Scottish press that is latently power-laden. This discourse attempts to construct and reaffirm a unified non-sectarian core identity that ‘real’ and ‘authentic’ Scots (should) share in opposition to a set of sectarian ‘others’. The various connotations attached to sectarian and sectarianism, together with their use in particular ways that reflect an ideological hegemony, are illustrated. Much of the press treatment of sectarianism is shown to lack sensitivity to the historical, hierarchical and relational aspects of religious, political and ethnic identities in Scotland.

All That's Bad in the English Game? Sports Scandals and Englishness

by Neil Ewen

In Media Res, 2 Dec 2011.

‘Robbing the World’s Largest Jewellery Store’? Digital Sports Piracy, Industry Hyperbole, and Barriers to an Alternative Online Business Model

by Brett Hutchins

From the 2011 Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference (http://www.anzca.net/conferences/anzca11-proceedings.html)

Knowing the End User: An Analysis of Independent Sports Media Production within the Creative Industry - Chris Argyle - May 2011

by Chris Argyle

Coverage by gender in ESPN The Magazine: An examination of articles and photographs

by Andrea Eagleman

Do the best MLB athletes receive coverage regardless of race and nationality? A content analysis of sport magazines

by Andrea Eagleman

Treading the political media waters: Coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in U.S. and Chinese news outlets.

by Andrea Eagleman

Gender, Race and Nationality: An Examination of Print Media Coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics

by Andrea Eagleman

Marketing to Minority Groups through MLB Coverage: An Examination of Two US Sport Magazines

by Andrea Eagleman