Annotated Sources

From the article "The Future of Sports Media"

This article talks about the changing nature of sports media, discussing how ESPN has created a model with its abundant coverage of sports. It offers print, broadcast, and online media. Other sports teams, such as England's soccer team Manchester United, have followed this model. The team has its own network. However, Manchester United has taken its "brand" to the next level. It offers services ranging from financial advice to car insurance.

The role of streaming online media and sports is at the forefront. Major League Baseball is one of the pioneers of broadcasting all of its regular season games as streaming video over the internet. Other organizations, such as the NCAA have asked MLB for help when setting up user-friendly sites for streaming video during the NCAA basketball tournament. Bloggers are also becoming a bigger influence in the sports media world and the media can no longer "filter" all of the content. The article doesn't go as far as saying that bloggers have actually broken many sports-related story, but it does suggest that the trend may occur. In final, the sport media landscape is constantly changing and adapting.


Summary of a book review of “The Ultimate Assist: The Relationship and Broadcast Strategies of the NBA and Television Networks.”

This is a review of a book by John A. Fortunato that talks about the way the NBA chose to market itself during the time of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The author tries to prove that there was more going on to promote the league other that the on-the-court product.

The reviewer writes that Fortunato suggests in the 1980s, the NBA purposely did not air many games on television in order to “leave the fans wanting more.” Then, when there was a game, the fans would really tune in. The author talks about the use of visual media during the games in order to paint a picture of the players. The fans could somehow, then, relate to the stars. This was also the start of “storylines” for games (the game was not just a game, it had higher significance).

The review also says that Fortunato discusses how the NBA marketed its product by giving the media extra access to the players. The book documents the NBA’s growth over time. The main point is that the NBA controls its own agenda. It is also able to market its product so well through the use of various media, that other companies are following the NBA’s model.

This seems relevant to the way that the NBA chooses to market itself today. Each year the league tries something different. Also, the NBA has focused less on the actual teams playing in the games. It chooses to hype the match-up between star players from each side.