commercialisation and the media Flashcards
what is commercialisation?
- using sport to make a profit
e.g. through ticket sales, sponsorship deals, selling media
rights, pay per view, merchandise, advertising etc..
= sport is a commodity - through the golden triangle (sport, media, sponsors)
what makes a sport commercial?
- increased media coverage
= its everywhere, tv, internet etc.. - greater ability to travel
= performers + spectators - greater advertising
= adverts everywhere, billboards, tv - more sponsorship
= shirt sponsors, sleeve sponsors, stadium sponsors - designated sports channels
= e.g. BT sports, Sky sports, 5 Live
what factors have led to the commercialisation of sport?
- increased media presence in sport
- greater exposure to a variety of sport
- increased advertising in sport
- increase in sponsorship of athletes/ teams aided professionalism
- relationship of the golden triangle
- rise of dedicated TV/ radio channels to sport
- freedom of movement
increased media presence in sport = factor leading to commercialisation
- more people spectating sport, therefore lather market to make profit from
greater exposure to a variety of sport = factor leading to commercialisation
- increases market as hits more people’s interests
increased advertising in sport = factor leading to commercialisation
- brings money through advertising deals
increase in sponsorship of athletes/ teams aided professionalism = factor leading to commercialisation
- more money available for teams to quit day job
- better equipment + facilities
- lead to higher standard of play
relationship of the golden triangle = factor leading to commercialisation
- sport, media and sponsorship increasingly rely on each other
- creates commercial structure + sport as a commodity
rise of dedicated TV/ radio channels to sport = factor leading to commercialisation
- increased opportunity to sell media rights
freedom of movement = factor leading to commercialisation
- performers + spectators can now travel worldwide to watch and play sport
- makes the market for commercialisation huge
changes to the media - led to commercialisation of sport
- shift from newspapers + radio to internet + social media
- designated sports channels
e.g. Sky sports, BT sport, red button for Olympics to switch to different sports - pay per view subscriptions
e.g. for boxing, one-time pay - Fury vs Wilder III - less sexist media coverage
e.g. greater gender representation - more female sports being shown - more variety of sports being shown including disability sport
e.g. paralympics, minority sports - sports stars now celebrities
e.g. Beckham - more global sports being seen domestically now
e.g. NBA, IPL, NFL, Big Bash
positive impact of commercialisation on society
- increase in entertainment quality, keeping society happy
- increase in access to spectating sport = can share in celebration of success
negative impact of commercialisation on society
- loss of tradition as it changes sport, which people don’t like
- people tend to spectate rather than participate so may increase spectatorship rather than participation
positive impact of commercialisation on sport
- increase funding to the sport
- increase in media coverage to that sport = increase in participation, spectatorship, interest, exposure for the sport
- facilitated globalisation = so sport can grow
negative impact of commercialisation on sport
- loss of tradition with the changes of rules, timings, new formats etc..
- loss of control of as the media can dictate things e.g. start times, any interviews/ publicity players need to do
positive impact of commercialisation on performers
- increased income/ higher wages
- increase in status/ popularity
- allows professionalism (sport full-time job)
- improve standard of play
- receive latest equipment/ kit free of charge
- access to better quality facilities
- can fund accommodation + travel
negative impact of commercialisation on performers
- pressure to do well to keep sponsors
- win at all costs ethos, may cause deviance = drugs, violence, gambling
- loss of control (e.g. forced to play through injury, forced to wear certain kit)
- ethics in representing sponsors that aren’t ethically correct (e.g. alcohol + betting companies)
positive impact of commercialisation on spectators
- increased access to sport (24/7)
- increase in media coverage (type and range)
- better media coverage e.g. instant replay, highlights, different angles, replays, technology used in sport etc..)
- improved stadia through investment
- more competitions - e.g. new formats, greater access to sport
- more entertaining at home = through technology
- greater spectacle e.g. fireworks, light shows, music as players come out etc..
negative impact of commercialisation on spectators
- can be 2nd place to sport including adverts they are not particularly interested in, want to see more sport rather than an advert every minute
- break in play, less flow, mores top start play when watching live = e.g. stopping for VAR, replays etc..
- may not agree with sponsors ethics e.g. betting
- TV subscriptions may be too expensive for some people = disadvantage, may lose out on some sports
- viewing experience better at home than in stadium
ADD to previous flashcards using slide 10 from powerpoint
how has the coverage of sport changed since the 1960’s
TV –> Radio –> Written press –> Internet
TV - coverage of sport
- Terrestrial television
- Satellite television
- Pay-per-view TV
terrestrial tv
- free to view as long as TV license fee has been paid
- ensures that everyone has some access to sporting events
- but limited and in decline
- so some major sporting events e.g. Olympics are ring fenced, meaning they have to shown on a terrestrial service
satellite tv
- requires a subscription fee to be paid in order to access the content provided
- usually offer access to more sporting events
= reduces the number of viewers as not everyone can afford it
pay-per-view tv
- requires a one-off payment in order to watch a particular sporting event
- further reduces the number of people who can watch sporting events
- but creates large revenues for organisers, media companies + athletes
TV evolution
terrestrial –> protected events –> satellite/ cable subscription –> pay per view events
terrestrial = free to air, sport was not constantly available e.g. Sunday afternoon football
protected events = have to be covered by free to air channels e.g. Wimbledon
satellite or cable = constant access to sport, but have to pay to access
pay-per-view events = pay additional one off fee to watch e.g. boxing
TV evolution
terrestrial –> protected events –> satellite/ cable subscription –> pay per view events
terrestrial = free to air, sport was not constantly available e.g. Sunday afternoon football
protected events = have to be covered by free to air channels e.g. Wimbledon
satellite or cable = constant access to sport, but have to pay to access
pay-per-view events = pay additional one off fee to watch e.g. boxing
radio
- sporting coverage on the radio is still popular
- radio coverage is free
= everyone can access sporting events which may not be available on free-to-access TV - national radio stations cover the major sporting events
- local stations will provide sport within the local area
= allows athletes + teams to receive a level of coverage that they would very rarely receive from the national providers - but now there are dedicated sports channels which allow 24 hour coverage, discussion + analysis of sporting events
e.g. talkSPORT, BBC radio 5 live Sports Extra
written press
- newspapers provide coverage of sporting events across their back pages + occasionally on the front page
- match reports, analysis of games, transfer speculations, gossip
- dedicated magazines are able to provide more in depth reporting with detailed analysis + interviews with athletes
- allow fans to closely follow the sport = increase interest + participation if also aimed at kids
radio evolution
local + national –> dedicated radio channels –> DAB radio
local + national = occasional mentions of sports broadcasting
dedicated = sport is the only topic e.g. talksport
DAB = offers variety and means can access stations that are not local
Written press evolution
Newspapers —> magazines
Internet evolution
Websites —> YouTube —> social media —> live streaming/ on demand
Positives of media coverage
Positives (+)
*Media increases commercialism/golden triangle, meaning more money is available to sport
*Increases participation but…
*Sport is now globalised/sports from around the world can now be viewed anywhere at any time
*Increase in standards of play because it’s allowed professionalism in sport
*Players able to earn high salaries
*Increased spectatorism through watching at home
*Creation of role models
*Increased profile of minority sports
*Increased technology, meaning fairer results
*New rules/versions of sports = exciting to watch
*Educate/inform about sport
Negatives of media coverage
Negatives (-)
*Media demands control of sports/performers
*Can cause deviant behaviour e.g. drug taking – win at all costs
*More people spectating rather than participating
*Loss of privacy/intrusion of media for sports stars
*Media highlights issues during and outside the game which reflect badly on the sport – Yorkshire racism e.g.
*Biased towards male/able-bodied sport e.g. football
*Negative role modelling that young athletes may copy
*New rules and versions go against tradition
*Increased officiating technology has slowed the game
