A Level PE - Sport and the Mass Media

A Level PE - Sports and the Mass Media:

Functions of Media in Society:

The main functions are:

• To advertise, e.g. promote a big boxing fight
• To educate, e.g. knowledge of tules, tactics, etc
• To entertain, e.g. to show an important football match on TV
• To inform, e.g. results, tables, etc
• To interpret, e.g. analysis of tactics

Sport and the Mass Media:

The main forms of sports media:

1. TV
2. Radio
3. Newspapers
4. Internet (including social media)

The Media & Sport:

• The rise of media coverage in sport has been interdependent with the rise of sport itself
• Early media outlets (like newspapers) allow people to be informed about results and analytical articles were written about the matches
• This made sport more popular amongst the masses (spectatorism)

• After newspapers came to radio, in the 1920’s, now people could hear ‘live’ what was happening  during a sports contest
• Listeners could use numbered grids published in the Radio Times in order to ascertain which area of the pitch the action was taking place due to a second commentator reading out grid references during the match
• Where the saying ‘back to square 1’ comes from

• In the early 1940’s, TV coverage of sport was introduced
• This allowed sport to reach the masses and sportsmen were becoming household names
• Initially, TV coverage was highlights based only but soon matches were broadcast live
• It was an easy form of entertainment and was very popular to the masses

The Impact of TV Coverage on Minor Sports:

• The BBC had the early rights to what were considered the major sports like football & cricket, 
• The emergence of more terrestrial channels like BBC2, ITV and Channel 4 allowed more minor sports to be shown on TV
• Sports like horse racing, skiing, snooker, darts and golf were all broadcast on TV

Modern Day…