Sports & the Media

How have media covered Peyton-Colts rift?

jgisondi — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:56:56 +0000

So how have the media covered the growing rift between future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and Indianapolis Colts owner Robert Irsay? Has the coverage been fair? How have the two people reacted, and prompted, much of this coverage? Read this story along with at least one another before posting your comments below. You might want to read Peyton’s interview with the Indianapolis Star last Monday to get further insight. Since then, the disconnect between the franchise player and the franchise owner has grown, despite their public statements. It’s seems clear the Colts won’t pick up Peyton’s option. In addition, feel free to speculate where Peyton would sign, if he were to be released. I’d guess the New York Jets, but, who knows, really, at this point (not that guessing is not loads of fun).

2012 Spring syllabus

jgisondi — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:58:46 +0000

I have listed the weekly assignments below for Perspectives on Sports and the Media. You can get the entire class syllabus for the Spring 2012 semester in PDF format by clicking the following link – Sports & Media Sp’ 12 syllabus-1

Jan. 9 INTRODUCTION TO CLASS

Review class requirements
Introduction to the symbiotic relationship between sports and the media

Jan. 11 SOCIOLOGY OF SPORTS

Read “In My Tribe” from Sports Illustrated (11.28.2011)
Read “Penn State of Mind” from Time (12.12.2011)
Discuss why sports are so important to so many people in the United States.

Jan. 16 HOLIDAY

No class in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jan. 18 SPORTS MEDIA THROUGH THE AGES

Read “Sports and Media in the Ancient Mediterranean” by Thomas Scanlon in Handbook of Sports and Media, pp. 3-19.
In-class assignment – determine which culture is most similar to modern United States.

Jan. 23 EARLY AMERICAN SPORTS

Read “Sports in Early America” in American Sports, pp. 1-19.
Read “Media Made Sport: A History of Sports Coverage in the United States” by Robert McChesney in Media, Sports and Society, pp. 49-70.
In-class assignment – Watch first chapter from the documentary Baseball.

Jan. 25 GOLDEN AGE OF SPORTS

Read Grantland Rice and His Heroes – chapters 1, 2, 3, 7, 9.
Critique selected stories written by Grantland Rice.

Jan. 30 JOURNALISM PIONEERS

Read chapter on Paul Gallico in No Cheering In The Pressbox, pp. 61-80.
Read chapter on Red Smith in No Cheering In The Pressbox, pp. 243-260.
Read chapter on Shirley Povich in No Cheering in The Pressbox, pp. 114-128.
Critique selected stories written by sportswriting pioneers.

Feb. 1 MODERN PRINT JOURNALISM

Review modern approaches to journalism used today compared to the early pioneers. Look at today’s top sportswriters.
In-class assignment – Critique modern sports stories, comparing them to pioneers. Students will evaluate another contemporary story that is due Feb. 8.

Feb. 6 SPORTS ON TELEVISION

Read “College Sports in the Age of Television” in American Sports, pp. 280-296.
Discuss Roone Arledge’s impact on sports and sports media.

Feb. 8 ROONE’S IMPACT ON TV SPORTS

Watch 40th Anniversary of Wide World of Sports.
Discuss main points addressed in documentary.

Feb. 13 EVALUATE SPORTS BROADCAST

Evaluate sports broadcast in class.
Students will evaluate another TV sports event broadcast on their own, writing a report due Feb 20.

Feb. 15 RADIO PIONEERS

Read selected chapters from The Broadcasters.

Feb. 20 SPORTS-TALK RADIO

Read Chapter 3 (“Inside the Sports Radio Industry”) in Beers, Babes and Balls: Masculinity and Sports Talk Radio, pp. 28-49.
Students will evaluate sports-talk radio in class, writing a report due at the end of the class.

Feb. 22 NEW MEDIA

Read “How Yahoo Sports Became ESPN’s Biggest Competitor” at outkickthecoverage.com.
Read “Tension Over Sports Blogging” in New York Times (April 21, 2008).
Critique several sports media Web sites.

Feb. 27 NEW MEDIA

Critique several sports media Web sites in class.

Feb. 29 MIDTERM

Please, bring one or two No. 2 pencils, along with a pen, to take test. These writing instruments won’t be supplied in class. The test will include a combination of multiple choice, short response and essay.

March 5 ECONOMIC TIES BETWEEN SPORTS AND MEDIA

Read “The Shame of College Sports” in The Atlantic (Oct. 11, 2011).

March 7 ECONOMIC TIES – PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

Read the following from Field of Schemes – chapters 13, 14, along with the Preface and Introduction. The book is on reserve in the library.

March 12-16

Spring break – rest, relax, repeat.

March 19 ECONOMIC TIES – WORLD CUP 2010

Read the following articles on eReserve from Time magazine – “The Global Game,” “The World Cup As Big Business,” and “Yes, Soccer is America’s Game.”
Read “South Africa: A Big Bounce from the World Cup” in Bloomberg Businessweek (May 13, 2010).
Watch “World Cup Soccer in Africa: Who Really Wins?”

March 21 BUSINESS OF SPORTS

Guest Speaker

March 26 COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Read “College Sports 101” that can be downloaded from the sportsmedia.wordpress.com Website or found online.
Read “Big-time college athletics: Are they worth the big-time costs?” in USA Today (Jan. 15, 2010).

March 28 COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Read “Should College Athletes Get Paid” in USA Today.

April 2 COLLEGE SPORTS & MARKETING

Read “How Student Fees Boost College Sports Amid Rising Budgets” on eReserve.

April 4 SPORTS INFORMATION & MARKETING

Discuss job requirements and approaches by those who work in sports information and sports marketing.
Guest speaker.

April 9 SPORTS INFORMATION & MARKETING

In-class assignment – Critique SID materials, comparing approaches and content.

April 11 ROLE OF PRESS IN THE INTEGRATION OF BASEBALL

Discuss Jim Crow laws.
Review chapter on Wendell Smith in No Cheering In The Press Box, pp. 312-324.
Read “The African-American Quest for Equity In Sports” in American Sports, pp. 315-328.
Watch Baseball: Shadow Ball that focuses on challenges of African-American players.

April 16 ROLE OF PRESS IN THE INTEGRATION OF BASEBALL

Watch Black Magic that focuses on challenges of African-American basketball players before the NBA integrated.

April 18 CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN ATHLETES

Read “The Rise and Decline of Organized Women’s Sports, 1890-1960” in American Sports, pp. 218-23.
Watch Baseball: The National Pastime about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

April 23 CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN ATHLETES/JOURNALISTS

Read “The Quest for Equity in Women’s Sports” in American Sports, pp. 330-342.
Watch Playing Unfair: The Media Image of the Female Athlete.

April 25 SPORTS JOURNALISM ETHICS

Review the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.
Read “Justice Delayed” in American Journalism Review, pp. 18-29 (Aug/Sept. 2007).
In-class assignment – respond to sports ethical dilemmas.

Should college athletes get paid?

jgisondi — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:41:46 +0000

Read the following report published in USA Today to decide whether college athletes should get paid – despite challenges to their athleticism and by athletes in other sports who would not receive additional compensation.

Should fans sue NFL owners for lockout?

jgisondi — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 03:46:39 +0000

Read the following story by Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post both to comment below and for the test later this week.

Early coverage of baseball

jgisondi — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:14:43 +0000

How did the press comment on baseball during the early years? Compare this coverage to modern sports reporting, linking to at least one article on your posting. As always, comment on at least one other students’ post.

Which time period helped drive sports the most?

jgisondi — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:10:45 +0000

Sports has a staggering affect upon American culture, starting its meteoric rise thanks to publications like the Police Gazette and the Spirit of the Times. Virtually every surge in sports’ popularity has been driven by an equally dramatic increase in media coverage, says media critic Robert McChesney. After reading his article, “Media Made Sport: A History of Sports Coverage in the United States,” argue which time periods have been the most significant to sports’ increased popularity – citing the reasons for your choices. Make sure you also comment on at least two other students’ posts.

Should Tebow have agreed to do ad airing during Super Bowl?

jgisondi — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:34:25 +0000

Tebow

First, read the following story by Jemele Hill on ESPN.com. Then, address one, or both, of the following questions by adding a comment below this story that includes your full name. In addition, comment on at least one of your classmate’s postings – and in a respectful, educated manner.

1. Should a TV network accept advertisements from organizations that create controversy? And is CBS consistent? After all, the TV network refused to take an ad from a gay dating service. Are there differences between these two ads?

2. Does this advertisement position Tebow as a hero or villain – at least, in the media’s mind? Read columns and stories by other media members and argue your point.

Class syllabus is set

jgisondi — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:04:04 +0000

You can click here to download a PDF of the class syllabus.

Class now has Facebook page

jgisondi — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:11:52 +0000

You’ll need to create a Facebook page before joining the group created for this class, which will have updates on assigned readings and writing projects. This is not required, but it is a great way to learn about changes or revisions before class. The page also includes key events for the semester.

Unforgivable Blackness

jjgisondi — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 08:23:50 +0000

Here are some online resources you can use to get more information on Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion who faced extreme racism 100 years ago. His dominance over white fighters prompted race riots across the country. You can read (and listen to) an interview with the producer of Unforgivable Blackness by clicking here.

You can also read reviews of the book by the New York Times, by Joyce Carol Oates, and by the Boston Globe.