Summary

The media and professional sports have always had a close connection, with the explosion in growth of the sports industry over the past few decades largely thanks to the increasing availability of sports media. Newspapers, radio, television and the internet have each had a large impact on how sports are portrayed and the numbers of fans who can enjoy live sport. While the sports industry has changed a lot over the years, the media remains as important as ever when it comes to bringing in new fans and reaching existing ones.

Sports media really started to take off in the beginning of the industrial age as printing techniques were refined, allowing for cheaper and more accessible newspapers. Sports fans could finally follow the news of their favourite teams even if they missed the game and it wasn’t long before the telegraph and then the radio allowed for fans to experience live games through a broadcast. With the TV, broadcasting became even more popular and help to bring visceral live sports to more people than ever. Sports broadcasting makes up a significant part of the sports media industry and has a large impact on how sports are portrayed and viewed by fans.

The purpose of sports media is to bring sports to a wider audience and help drive engagement with sports. Live sports broadcasts are the most popular type of sports media, but fans also consume sports journalism, highlights, documentaries and social media content relating to their favourite teams, competitions and athletes. These all help fans to understand more about the sport and stay up to date with all of the news and latest information.

Journalism is the practice of reporting on the facts of a situation as it occurs, bringing to light issues that the public should be aware of. Journalism depends on trust between the journalists and the public and as a result, it’s important that journalists keep to the facts and maintain high ethical standards. Credibility is established by using tone of voice, the right platform and establishing trust.

Sports revolve around the support of the fans, who have a different relationship to their favourite team or sport than the usual consumer-brand relationship. Fans display a far greater sense of loyalty to the sport they follow but sports brands and media still need to understand the needs of the fans and how to develop engagement with them. Fans now have more choices than ever when it comes to sports and sports media, so it’s important to deliver the kind of content they want on the platforms they use.

Risk is inherent in all industries and cannot be avoided. However, those in charge of a business should understand the importance of risk management and crisis management. These are particularly important in event industries such as live sports, where there are large numbers of people involved. Risks need to be evaluated and managed and a crisis team should be set up to handle any potential crisis. A crisis communication strategy is an integral stage in managing a crisis, as it will dictate whether a company is able to protect its reputation and prevent the situation from getting out of control.

Sports broadcasting remains the most popular way for sports fans to follow the sports they love. Live broadcasts are incredibly popular and also form one of the main sources of revenue for many sports organisations. Broadcasts rights are sold to the highest bidder and can be very lucrative, they’ve also led to rising costs for fans. As a result, signal piracy is on the rise and broadcasters will need to come up with a solution to prevent it. Broadcasting has been around for a long time, but it will need to adapt to continue to thrive and compete with other forms of media such as live streaming.

The internet has the potential to change the sports industry as much as broadcasting did or even more so. Social media, over-the-top broadcasting and sports on demand have made sports more accessible than ever before. No matter where you are in the world, you can stay up to date with any sports competition and this has led to the biggest organisations and athletes gaining more fans in new markets. Digital media has also had a significant impact on sports journalism and sports marketing, forcing those working in these fields to adapt.

The media and journalists should always aim to abide by a set of ethics when reporting on sports, even if the stories they’re covering might not be as serious as those reported on by regular journalists. Ethical considerations apply in sports media just as much in the regular media and key issues for consideration including privacy, the portrayal of women’s sports and the use of social media.

With so much change to the sports media and communication industry in just a few decades, those working in the industry have had to adapt and change fast. The rate of change hasn’t slowed down, and the arrival of digital media has meant that the world of sports and sports media are now more different than ever. With virtual reality, free content and an increasing number of sports documentaries just a few of the emerging trends, the industry may change a lot over the next decade.

What You’ll Learn

· The history of sports in print, radio, television and the internet

· The importance of communication

· The basics of journalism

· What are features, interviews and editorials, and how are they used in journalism

· The importance of credibility and how to produce credible communication

· How to identify consumer needs

· The difference between consumers and fans

· The importance of engagement and how to build engagement with fans

· Risk management and its importance in the sports industry

· The different stages of crisis management

· How to create a crisis communications strategy

· How to avoid and overcome bad communication strategy

· What are broadcasting rights, and how are they used

· What processes go into broadcast production

· The future of broadcasting

· Social media and what impact it has had on the sports industry

· What has digital media changed in sports journalism

· How digital technology affects sports marketing

· The basics of ethics in journalism

· Ethically portraying women’s sports in the media

· Ethical sports reporting in the digital age

· How virtual reality can change the future of sports media

· Free content and its impact on the sports industry

· Why broadcasters are producing more sports documentaries than ever before

Words from the Author, Saam Momen:

I have a true passion for teaching! I have proudly taught university courses in Switzerland, USA and Brazil. My career spans over 15 years in the sporting industry with jobs at the London Olympic Bid Committee, UEFA, CSM and TEAM Marketing. I possess a Master Degree in Sports Management and an Executive Education diploma at Harvard Business School on The Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports. I hope that throughout this course you are able to have a wonderful learning experience! Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any queries.

Why Choose This Course

This course has been developed to further your understanding of the sports media industry and give you the best possible chance of success in a sports media and communications career. The sports industry is incredibly competitive so any additional knowledge and skills you can gain can make a big difference in helping you start your dream career. As you progress through the course, you’ll be able to learn a lot more about the different areas of sports media and communications including journalism, broadcasting and more. Each chapter is designed to give you a detailed look at a variety of topics and to provide context through the use of real examples.

If you plan on making a career in sports media, this course is a great place to start. Here you’ll learn about the history of sports media, how it’s helped shape the sports industry today and what the future might hold. You’ll learn why sports media and communications are such important concepts in the sports industry as well as discovering the different areas involved in modern sports media such as the impact of digital media. No matter what area of sports media you’d like to work in, this course helps provide a balanced view of the entire field, giving you important context across all of the main branches of sports media and communications.

The world of sports and sports media has changed a lot in the past few years. New technology and trends have emerged that have had a huge impact on how sports journalism, broadcasting and communication works. As a result, it’s incredibly important that those in the sports industry are aware of and understand the technology that is helping to make our world a better place. This course will help you to learn about technology in sports media and the ways that it can be used for faster, more effective and more engaging sports content.

As you go through each chapter, take the time to study each topic carefully and make the most of the additional links and facts we’ve provided. Each has been designed to give you more detailed knowledge on the subject and help you understand each topic in broader terms. A strong knowledge in each of these topics is important if you want to understand the industry and how it works.

Those with an education in sports media and communications won’t just be limited to the sports industry. The course gives you a deep understanding of how media and communications works and will allow you to pursue roles in other industries if you wish. Communications in particular is an important field in many industries and having a good knowledge of communication techniques and theories will help you no matter what industry you end up in.