What I learned about sports media

So going into this I just expected to be completely bored and only get through it because of your witty humor. What I discovered was something different, everything has to do with sports. From advertising, to entertainment news to my cable bill, it's all because of sports.

What I was most shocked to learn was the amount of money the sports industry throws around. Millions of dollars alone are spent on rights' fees, like ridiculous amounts.

I also thought it was interesting to see ESPN's monopoly over the sports industry. If local networks spend three minutes or less on sports coverage and ESPN has numerous media outlets dedicated to sports, it only makes sense.

But what I found most fascinating was the overlap between sports and entertainment. Well really sports and everything, but I'll just talk about entertainment. I never thought about how sports beat writers are going to get the first call regarding an out-of-arena scandal with an athlete. The line between sports news and sports entertainment has been blurred and much of what I consider entertainment news is really sports entertainment.

But really though...

I never realized how much ethics can be involved in sports reporting. Journalism, no matter the beat, has ethics, but I was just amazed. Your example in class with the former student and the drunk coach was crazy and I never thought about having to be ethical with sports reporting. I had always thought it was more black and white, "here's who won the game, this is what the coach said, etc." But there is a lot more to it.

So I suppose my big takeaway from this class is that sports rules everything. It makes me wish I had a larger interest in sports. I also would have liked to take your Sports Reporting class, but I'm graduating in the spring and it's full. I guess my new year's resolution for the sports world would just be to become more interested in the industry. Whether it's watching more games, following athletes or just contemplating how sports rule the world, I just want to be more involved.

Thanks for a great session and feel better!

Also, I found this article to be particularly useful. My little brother sent it to me. http://gawker.com/5875125/the-non-sports-fans-guide-to-tim-tebow

Sports Media Interviews

After class today, one of my takeaways was the ridiculous prices we pay as sports fans. From cable bills, to game tickets to the price of a single beer, we pay to watch sports. I interviewed my younger brother E.J. and my friend Justin about their opinions of our class questions.

Did you watch the BCS title game?

E.J.:
"I mainly watched it because it's a title game and there wasn't really anything else on that night."
"But it was like the most boring title game ever, Alabama just crushed them. I turned it off after halftime."

Justin:
"Yeah I watched it just cause I thought it would be the best thing on that night."
"Overall it sucked, but it was a better game than the last time they played each other."
"It was just bad though."

Who are your favorite sportscasters? Why?

E.J.:
"I don't really have a favorite, but I can say my least favorite is John Buccigross."
"I just feel like he doesn't know anything and he's just trying to be a TV personality."

Justin:
"I like Michael Wilbon and Jay Mariotti a lot."
"Mostly because they are from Chicago and like the same teams as me."
"I hate John Madden, well really his voice just annoys me."

Will you attend more games or watch more games this year?

E.J.:
"Well I don't really have the money to go to games." (He's 15)
"But I like watching them at home more because I hate the crowds and stuff."

Justin:
"I just moved to the city and got a better higher-paying job, so I guess I would say that I will probably go to more games this year. Mainly because I can afford it now and I'm closer to the stadiums."

ESPN and ethics

I, like the fashion major, do not frequently watch ESPN. I will admit I’m not a big sports fan and thus watching ESPN for me will often lead to a spontaneous afternoon nap.

So I’m going to focus on the last few questions we were given in class today regarding ESPN and its policies with reporters.

Should ESPN reporters be able to tweet breaking news stories?

In my personal life I will admit that I often first hear about major news stories from social media sources like Facebook and Twitter. Whether it be who won an election, which celebrity is going to rehab or who won yesterdays game, I hear all about it on Twitter.  

So to say reporters for ESPN are not allowed to tweet something unless it comes from espn.com or a press release first is, pardon my lack of eloquent diction, stupid. If the facts are there, why not tweet about it? If anything, tweeting about a breaking news story will only encourage its Twitter followers to continue to look to the ESPN Twitter account for more information on the story.

Although I jump around to different news outlets when following a breaking story, I always check back to the original source more frequently. Say ESPN broke a story first over Twitter, I would be more likely to look to ESPN for updates on that particular story.

Would I break ESPN policy and break a story over Twitter?

Well like we talked about in class, if your job is to be the first to break a new story then how does ESPN expect its reporters to get content up if all they are carrying is a cell phone?

If reporters for other news outlets were all tweeting around me, I would feel almost embarrassed because I couldn’t get on the story as quickly. I do not, however, feel that I would break ESPN policy. Firstly, it’s a policy and it’s there for a reason. Secondly, I would not want to break the rules of the company that is providing a paycheck for me.

Should ESPN reporters be able to write about sports-related topics on their personal blogs?

I can clearly see how this can be a problem for both sides of the argument. If I were a higher up at ESPN I would not want my reporters blogging about what they cover for my news outlet. If your contract says you can’t write for other news outlets about the topic of sports, then I could see why ESPN would not allow sports related personal blogs. Although a personal blog is not an accredited news source, it can still be considered a news outlet.

On the other side of the issue, I would be quite angry to be a reporter for ESPN and not be able to have a personal sports blog. Blogging, to me, can be your opinions that you would normally not be allowed to express for work. Writing for ESPN, a reporter could be considered a sports “expert” and as an expert they are the perfect people to write a sports blog.

If the content does not mention ESPN negatively and is not affiliated with ESPN, then I really feel they should be able to have personal sports blogs. Would you rather read a sports blog from a legitimate sports reporter? Or some middle-aged man writing in his basement?

But the obvious loophole to this problem is to just have your personal sports blog be anonymous.

As a sports reporter...

Although I have found sports can be interesting, I have never really considered my self a sports fan. Coming from a family where my cousin, uncle and grandfather were all suburban high school football coaches, it’s kind of hard for me to escape the sports world.

But somewhere around the second grade I started practicing gymnastics, the one and only sport I thoroughly enjoyed and actually participated in during high school.  So make fun of me if you will, but if I was a sports reporter I would be most excited to cover gymnastics in the 2012 Olympic games.

But unlike a large amount of typical Olympic gymnastics viewers in this country, I actually know what the hell is going on. I don’t just gawk at Nastia Liukin’s beam routine. I can understand the complexities and dedication involved in mastering such difficult routines.

I suppose writing a sports-feature piece on gymnastics would be most interesting for me, as well as the typical reporting on the Olympics. The angle could dissect some gymnasts’ routines and explain just where the athletes went wrong and how the judges arrived at a final score.

Maybe this could get boring to the typical reader, but I would love to read more in depth on the topic of gymnastics and I’m sure there are others out there like me.

Another story could revolve around the actual scoring process brought into effect after the 2004 games in Athens. This points system allows for a greater separation of gymnasts’ scores. I know I’ve had to explain this scoring system to my mother many times and I feel like other readers could benefit from such a story.

And by readers, I mean mostly bored middle-aged housewives. But whatever, I still enjoy the sport.

Fans want to participate too

by: Brian Gray

The idea of smart phones making access to sports and entertainment news is nothing new. Social networking and smart phone apps have allowed consumers to be closer to ‘the game’ than ever before.

Apps like NBA Game Time and ESPN Sportscenter have revolutionized the way consumers receive sports news. Live tweets from sporting events give us real-time updates on games.

But as technology becomes more advanced where do we draw the line between keeping up with sports news and actually participating in it?

The new trend of ‘Social TV’ is beginning to become more popular. It’s the idea that the audience becomes able to participate with their television viewing over real time. Whether it be sending their favorite choice for “American Idol” or tweeting a question to the live reunion episode of “Real Housewives,” consumers enjoy the feeling of participating in the show.

Since the sports business is blurring the line between sports news and entertainment, it will come across challenges when taking advantage of social media.

News outlets resist social input while entertainment is beginning to embrace a fan interaction. As the entertainment business is moving forward with ‘Social TV,’ the sports news business is left with a dilemma.

We know that sports fans are watching live, but are they looking for this type of “social” experience too? Sure, according to a recent poll of sports fans done by Coyle Media, a sports media blog, over 80 percent of fans who follow teams on Twitter are likely to go online via smart phones while watching sports on TV.

Sure fans can tweet to players on the basketball court and journalists can real time Tweet about the game, but fans are not getting a sense of participation from that. Sure athletes can tweet on their own time, but tweeting on the sidelines of a broadcasted game is against the rules.

The rule exists for a reason. Imagine if players could tweet about their thoughts during a game. But the economic benefits of ‘Social TV’ are exponentially increasing and it is only a matter of time before these rules begin to break.

At the end of the day phone companies and the sports industry want one thing, your money. If Derrick Rose live tweeting to a fan in his own living room makes money, then how long will it take for that to become a reality?