When one thinks about American television, what do they think about? The answer is simple. Sports programming is American television. Who doesn’t watch the Super Bowl nowadays? On any given day or night, major networks such as CBS, Fox and ABC will most likely be hosting a sporting event and or sports programming. There are so many sports programs on television at any given moment it is insane. And all of these networks have multiple branches that focus on sports as well. We can view event programming (The Super Bowl), sports journalism shows (ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, Outside The Lines), and sports fiction (Friday Night Lights and Remember The Titans) the list is endless. The modes of receiving sports info and coverage is only expanding. Is this good or bad for television?
As I read in chapter 5, Dan Brown and Jennings Bryant had illustrated that in 2003, 13 of the 30 top- rated television programs were sports content. That says a lot about how much sport plays a role in our lives as Americans. One couldn’t imagine a life without sports on television today. Back in my grandparent’s day, they would listen to sports on the radio and be satisfied. Today we are beyond spoiled. Every event that is televised seems to be spectacular. It is crazy to think about how much must go into each broadcast. You have sports casters, cameramen, editors, advertisers etc. And it all comes together when we watch The Yankees or the Red Sox on their respective stations. Once April roles around, my butt is on the couch watching the Yankees on Yes. (I am sure this is debatable amongst Yankee fans) But I love watching the games while Michael Kay and Ken Singleton do the play by play, and I couldn’t imagine Yankees baseball without them.
Today there are channels solely dedicated to a single sport. People that purchase premium packages and cable, may receive channels such as the MLB Network and the NFL Network which dedicate their time strictly to that sport. I think this is a great thing. There are just so many outlets for sports especially on television.
Lets talk about football on TV. Football has become America’s sport and people want it all the time. It is wild to think that football is only played two days out of the week, but there is constant coverage of the sport all during the season. While reading chapter 5, it was evident that football is where it is at today. Advertisements collage each game. The prime demographics are watching the games.
Televising sports is a way of life. From NASCAR to the NFL people want to see sports on television. Televised sport is entertainment. Each year sport on television gets better and more interactive than ever. I believe that television will remain the main outlet for viewing sports, because it has a true following. I understand people may watch sports from the laptops or computers, but sports money will probably stay dedicated with the television networks.
Here, check this article out. This article mainly focuses on how people try to live vicariously through sports. Can television keep up with the emergence of new media?
You're right James, we really are spoiled with how much we sports we are blessed with because of television. Sure, many people may not like all the sports debate shows we discussed in class today, but those wouldn't exist without us having the ability to watch any sport, in any market, at any time.
ReplyDeleteI will say I have to disagree with you about Michael Kay though, but let's not get into that. He's only doing his job, and there are broadcasters out there that are far worse than he is.
James and PJ, I completely agree that sports coverage on television is insane. And to answer your question James, I think television will be perfectly fine with the emergence of new media. Yes fans can view games on their computers, laptops, even smart phones, but its just not the same. I've tried to watch the games on the computer and they are behind, slow, and blurry. Fans are going to choose to watch the game on TV over the Internet just because of all the amazing features television offers. Televised games offer HDTV, on-the-field and in the huddle audio, multiple angles, etc. It makes the fan part of the action.
ReplyDeleteI also think that television will be fine because of all the networks that host sporting events. I am a Red Sox fan (we don't need to get into this debate) and NESN is the home of the Red Sox. Every night the Red Sox play, fans can see the game on NESN. NESN also covers most Boston-area sports. Raney and Bryant discuss in chapter 5 how regional sports channels are surging. YES network covers all Yankees games. There are other networks like NESN and YES that focus mainly on their major sports team in that region. When fans want to see or hear about just their teams, they can tune into these channels. However, major networks also cover sports which is the main reason why new media is not a threat.
If fans want to watch a big time college basketball game on Saturday, they can tune into ESPN or CBS. CBS and other networks such as TBS covers the entire the NCAA tournament. ESPN, TNT, and TBS covers MLB games. ESPN, ABC, and TNT cover MLB games. FOX, CBS, and NFL Network cover NFL games. Fans can tune into all these networks and they are going to find a game on every night of the week. All these networks show the best games of that night, so it exposes fans across the globe to different sports teams. These are the major television networks and the more regional channels as I mentioned before are only adding fuel to the fire of the coverage of sports on television.
The sports entertainment industry is everywhere, it's impossible to escape while flipping through channels. The industry has grown so much and so fast, that we hardly appreciate all that we have available to us on any given sports night. It used to be a luxury just to get one game on the radio live, now we have all sorts of cameras all over the field. There's been the "skycam" at football games for years now that rides above the field, capturing amazing angles.
ReplyDeleteAlong with the glorification of sports television, the athletes have become more than just players in the game, they have become entertainment celebrities. The age of television opened up the floodgates of endorsements and tv commercials for athletes. People like Lebron James have become celebrities first and athletes second in some regard.
James, Kevin and Dom,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with all your statements. Its insane but yet incredible the access and obsession we have with sporting networks. Sitting here writing this, I flip through the station is still amazed how much is dedicated to sports programming. I do not think sports networking through the television is going anywhere. Without a doubt, television will remain the same or surpass any new medium that is created. Even if individuals do log on to a computer to watch a game, often its affiliated with a network any, so what is the difference of watching it on the computer versus a television?
There is something extremely accessible, understandable, and comfortable about televised sports. As it was discussed in class, its hard to put a focus on radio play by plays because often many of us in the television era know nothing else. A point that really struck me that you made James, is from the chapter where in 2003 there was a study done on the top 20 stations and more than half were sports networks/shows. This statement and results of the study indicate the point I am trying to make. The popularity of sport on television is not going anywhere any time soon and I believe that it is a good thing. The only negative opinion I have that others may disagree with is that television (especially with sports) has become too much about entertainment. Although I understand the entertainment aspect, since it is what our generation thrives off of, but nonetheless, I see it as the only declining aspect of televised sports.