Sport and the Media - Essay Example

The relationship between sports and media is viewed as symbiotic by many people. This means that both the media and sports benefit from each other. However, Hundley (2010) maintains that the media has a control over sports. This is because most of the information pertaining to sports is received from the media. For example, the media is responsible for reporting on the various matches that would take place, the results of these matches, the venues, and the ticket costs. This information is very useful, and this mainly because it would help in attracting fans to the venues of the sport activities.

Furthermore, because of the evolution of the mass media, there is an emergence of sports stars (Raney, 2006). Examples include Tiger Woods, Christiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, etc. These people normally occupy the front pages of newspaper organizations, and other forms of mass media. They are popular because of the media, and as a result, they are able to earn a lot of money from sponsorship deals and agreements. Without such kind of reporting, these sports personalities cannot get the popularity that they have.

Furthermore, sports organizations normally get a lot of money, by charging media rights. These are fees that the media pay to sports organizations, for airing their matches. Billings (2011) explains that this money is usually huge, when compared to the gate collections that these sports organizations are able to collect. Based on this fact, sports heavily rely on the media, as sources of revenues, and for advertisements. Without the media, it is impossible for sports to become a multi-billion dollar industry.

In as much as sports rely heavily on the media, the media also relies on sports. This is because they are able to attract male viewers, who love sports. Furthermore, newspaper organizations have sports sections, and this helps them to increase circulation, hence revenues (Raney, 2006). Despite the importance of the media, in the industry, there are numerous issues that have arisen. Some of these issues include the quality of reporting by journalists, and their professionalism. Furthermore, controversy exists, on whether journalists are serious about their reporting, or they are motivated by the fun, of being sportsmen.

In conclusion therefore, the media plays an influential role in sports management, and it is a source of revenue for sports team. On the other hand, the media also benefits from sports, and this is because it relies on it, for increased sales, and circulation. It is therefore prudent to denote that the relationship is symbiotic in nature. Bibliography:Billings, A. (2011). Sports media: Transformation, integration, consumption. New York: Routledge. Top of FormBottom of FormHundley, H. (2010).

Examining identity in sports media. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. Top of FormBottom of FormRaney, A. (2006). Handbook of sports and media. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates.