Strategic Sport Communication is the first text that encompasses the vast, varied, and exciting field of sport communication. Using communication theory and sport literature, and drawing on the authors’ own rich experiences as sport communication professionals, Strategic Sport Communication introduces readers to all aspects of the sport communication industry and how each is integral to the management, marketing, and operational goals of sport organizations at all levels.
Using their Strategic Sport Communication Model (SSCM), the authors outline the process of sport communication and categorize its various aspects into three major components: personal and organizational communication, sport mass media, and sport communication services and support. The SSCM provides the first conception of sport communication as a distinct discipline and gives readers a thorough understanding of sport communicaton and its impact in the world of sport. Students will explore the many careers in the industry and discover how sport organizations can use their knowledge for greater success.
With Strategic Sport Communication, readers will achieve both a depth and breadth of sport communication knowledge through discussion of topics such as these:
The history, development, and definition of sport communication, including the effects of trends, pioneers, and the dynamic growth of the sport industry
Career options in sport communication and keys to entering the field, including self-evaluation, education, marketability, networking, experiential learning, and job searching
The intersection of sport communication with sociological and cultural issues related to enjoyment, marketability of violence, gender, race and ethnicity, and nationalism
The ability of sport communication to reflect, create, shape, reinforce, and sustain myths, values, perceptions, power structures, socialization, social policies, and beliefs within a society
An analysis of the history and impact of the unique relationship between athletes and the press
A discussion of the legal rights of those in sport journalism to acquire, report, and publish information relative to athetes and sport entities
Technology’s impact on legal issues in sport communication from real-time scores to fantasy sports leagues
Readers of Strategic Sport Communication will enjoy the interesting interplay of theoretical findings and insights from sport communication professionals. Each chapter opens with a vignette designed to help readers translate the chapter topic into practice. Further learning opportunities are offered at the end of each chapter through chapter summaries, reviews with discussion questions, suggested exercises, and additional study references in a variety of formats. These learning tools, along with the accessible writing style, promote comprehension for a variety of learning styles.
Strategic Sport Communication is the definitive text for those who want to gain a comprehensive understanding of the emerging field of sport communication. Through the examination of key research, current trends, industry demands, and the organizational value of sport communication, readers will gain a thorough grounding in the diverse areas the field offers for both academic study and professional practice.
Part I. Introducing Sport Communication
Chapter 1. Study of Sport Management and Sport Communication
Recognizing the Magnitude of the Sport Industry
Focusing on the Study of Sport Management
Focusing on the Study of Sport Communication
Preparing for a Career in Sport Communication
Increasing Your Marketability Through Ancillary Activities
Chapter 2. Careers in Sport Communication
Careers in Management
Careers in Mass Media
Careers in Support Services
Careers in Entertainment
Careers Through Other Opportunities
Your Keys to Entry Into the Field
Chapter 3. History and Growth of Sport Communication
Early Eras of Sport Journalism
Golden Age of Sport
Perspective Period
Transition Years
Pete Rozelle and Roone Arledge and Their Pioneering Visions
Today’s Sport Communication
Part II. Examining the Strategic Sport Communication Model
Chapter 4. Sport Communication and the Strategic Sport Communication Model (SSCM)
Defining Sport Communication
Examining the Theoretical Framework of Sport Communication
Identifying the Elements of Sport Communication
Focusing on Theories of Mass Effects
Analyzing the Strategic Sport Communication Model
Chapter 5. Personal Sport Communication
Highlighting Three Forms of Personal Communication in Sport
Characterizing Interpersonal Communication
Identifying the Elements of the Interpersonal Sport Communication Process
Communicating With Nonverbal Messages
Communicating With Verbal Messages
Improving Your Interpersonal Communication
Chapter 6. Organizational and Leadership Communication in Sport
Understanding Organizational Sport Communication
Recognizing Three Organizational Features That Affect Communication
Examining Forms of Communication in Sport Organizations
Appreciating Leadership Communication in Sport
Chapter 7. Sport Publishing and Print Sport Communication
Newspaper Sports Coverage
Sports Books
Wire Services and Technological Advancements
Sports Magazines
Life As a Sport Journalist
Chapter 8. Electronic and Visual Sport Communication
Experiencing Sport Through Radio
Experiencing Sport Through Television
Recognizing the Influence of Cable Television
Showcasing Sport Through Films and Documentaries
Chapter 9. Online Sport Communication and the New Sport Media
Surveying the New Sport Media: Interactivity and the Internet
Examining Internet Usage in Sport
Introducing the Model for Online Sport Communication
Exploring New Sport Media and Communication Channels
Chapter 10. Sport Advertising
Understanding Historical Perspectives
Identifying the Characteristics and Challenges of Sport
Recognizing Value of Sport Sponsorship
Focusing on the Use of Athletes As Endorsers
Chapter 11. Public Relations and Crisis Communication in Sport
Identifying Historical Perspectives and Trends in Public Relations
Practicing Effective Public Relations
Managing Media Relations
Managing Community Relations
Managing Communication During Crisis
Chapter 12. Sport Communication Research
Media Industry’s Practical Use of Research
Academia’s Use of Research to Explore Sport Communication
Part III. Addressing Issues and Regulation in Sport Communication
Chapter 13. Sociological Aspects of Sport Communication
Race and Ethnicity
Females and the Sport Media
Nationalism and the Sport Media
Current Sociological Issues Affecting Sport Media
Chapter 14. Legal Issues in Sport Communication
Examining Player–Media Relations
Establishing Freedom of the Press in the United States: The First Amendment
Defining the Limits of the Press
Assessing Technology’s Impact on Legal Issues
Protecting Reporters’ Rights to Locker-Room Access
Paul M. Pedersen, PhD, an associate professor of sport communication at Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana), received his PhD in sport management from Florida State University in 2000. Pedersen began his sport communication career as a sportswriter and sports business columnist and has researched, published, and presented on the activities and practices of many sport organization personnel, specifically those associated with the print media and affiliated with intercollegiate and interscholastic sports. His current research interests focus on hegemony theory and hegemonic practices (how dominant groups secure and maintain power) within the institution of sport.
Pedersen, who is the editor of the International Journal of Sport Communication (IJSC), has presented his research at over 35 professional conferences and published more than 35 peer-reviewed articles in national or international academic journals such as the Journal of Sport Management, International Journal of Sport Management, Sociology of Sport Journal, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, and Journal of Sports Economics. He has authored two books: Build It and They Will Come: The Arrival of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1997) and Bobby Bowden: Win by Win (2003).
Kimberly S. Miloch, PhD, is an assistant professor in the nationally recognized sport communication program at Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana), where her teaching, research, and consulting work focus on sport public relations and sport marketing. In 2002 Miloch earned her PhD in sport management from Florida State University.
Before entering academia, Miloch was the public relations and game operations director for a minor league hockey team. She also worked in communications and marketing for the United States Tennis Association Texas Section.
Miloch is a member of the Sport Marketing Association and an editorial review board member for Sport Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, and International Journal of Sport Management. She also serves as associate editor for The SMART Journal (The Sport Management and Related Topics Journal).
Pamela C. Laucella, PhD, is an assistant professor of sport communication, specializing in sport journalism and sport history at Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana). She earned her PhD in 2004 in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was also a recipient of the Park Fellowship. Before accepting a position at Indiana University, Laucella was an assistant professor in communication studies at Christopher Newport University, where she taught sport communication, presidential politics and communication, diversity and the media, research methods, and public speaking.
Laucella's work as a freelance sportswriter, sports reporter, and project coordinator for the NFL Players Association's Native Vision Life Skills camp provided firsthand experience for her research in sociocultural, historical, and literary issues in sport journalism and communication. In this research, she focuses on media portrayals of race. She also studies the media “feeding frenzy” surrounding Division I college coaches and the relationship between coaches and the media.