Eddy Negrepont
How the Media Affects Sports
Sports have
become a very big part of the society that we live in today. With the media
becoming more and more popular every year, we have seen a direct link with the
correlation of media popularity and sports popularity. There
have been many ways that social media has had a direct effect on the way we
view sports today. One example of this
is how social media now allows you to observe what is going on in your favorite
athletes’ everyday lives. This makes the fan feel much closer to that athlete
and allows them to get personally involved in their lives. In turn, the fan feels like they have a
relationship and personal connection with the athlete. Another example of how media has had impact
on the sports world is the many different ways that the fans are able to watch
and find out information about their favorite teams. You are now able to watch
your favorite teams from all different devices.
According to the Year in Sports Media Report, “The growth in digital video
viewing from 2013 to 2014 was nothing short of extraordinary, and not just
among younger consumers. While the 18-34 set posted a 53% increase in digital
viewing from Q2 2013 to Q2 2014, viewing grew an even more impressive 80% and
60% among Americans 35-49 and 50 – 64, respectively. Fans continue to increase
consumption and engage with sports content in a variety of different ways
across a multitude of devices.” (Neilson 1)These numbers show what kind of
impact that the media has had on sports. It has become much easier then it has
been in the past to be able to watch your favorite teams.
Another
area that the media has had a tremendous impact on in the sports world is the
emergence of fantasy sports. Fantasy
sports have become a multi billion dollar enterprise and have opened up a
completely new way for fans to be more involved with the sport. Fantasy also brings in a lot of money to
professional sports in many ways. For example, if your favorite team is not
doing well towards the end of the season, more than likely you are going to
stop watching your team because they are playing so poorly. However, because the fans play fantasy it
makes them much more interested in with what is going on with the rest of the
league to see how their players on their fantasy team are performing. Most professional sports have fantasy but
none have been more successful than football. Over the past decade the
popularity of the NFL has exploded. According to NFL.com a Harris Poll last
October said that “59 percent of Americans follow the NFL. This is up by more
than 10 percentage points from the 47 percent who said they followed the NFL 10
years ago.” This shows how fantasy
football has helped transform the NFL and how many people are engaging in fantasy
football. According to an article Eliot Caroom, “there are approximately
35 million fantasy sports player of which a significant number play fantasy
football.”
Many
media outlets have recognized this huge jump in popularity. One company that used this to their advantage
is Direct TV. Direct TV is the only
cable or satellite company that offers their customers the NFL Sunday
Ticket. This package allows you to be
able to view every football game that is being televised not only in your area,
but all across the country. Big fantasy football fans buy this package
just so they are able to watch how well everyone is playing on their team. According
to Forbes, “Direct TV signed a new deal that is said to be worth $1.5 billion
per year for a total of eight years. The most key component of the Direct
TV deal is the extension of NFL Sunday Ticket and the continued existence of
the extremely popular Red Zone Channel.” The Red Zone Channel and Fantasy Zone
have both emerged as fantasy football has grown. The Red Zone and Fantasy Zone channels
provide you great ways to follow your fantasy team. Furthermore, they allow you to breaking news
and happenings around the league. When
Rodger Goodell, the Commissioner of the National Football League, was asked
about his thoughts on fantasy football’s impact on the league he stated, “It’s added so much to the
game and the way the fans engage with the game. Even if your team isn't playing
well, you're still following your fantasy league or you're following the Red
Zone or your mobile device. So it has created more interest for a longer period
of time."
Do
you think that Fantasy will continue to grow and make sports more popular?
In
future years, do you think we will start to see more cable companies try and
get the NFL package and not just be broadcasted on Direct TV?
Works Cited
"2014
Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com.
Accessed 29 March 2015. Web.
"How
DirecTV Is Capitalizing On Growth Of Fantasy Football." Forbes.
Forbes Magazine, 2 Mar. 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenheitner/2014/11/23/how-directv-is-capitalizing-on-growth-of-fantasy-football/>.
"Official Blog of the National Football League." NFLcom Blogs RSS. 15 Oct. 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. <http://blogs.nfl.com/2012/08/23/roger-goodell-fantasy-football-has-added-so-much/>.
"Fantasy Sports Becoming a Booming Industry - Athletic Business." Fantasy Sports Becoming a Booming Industry - Athletic Business.
18 June 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.athleticbusiness.com/web-social/fantasy-sports-becoming-a-booming-industry.html>.
Eddy, you did a great job in discussing the affects in which the media has changed the way in which people look at sports. I agree with how you discussed social media and how it connects athletes with their fans. It seems that most of the popular athletes, such as Lebron James, heavily use social media platforms like Instagram, to build a relationship with their fans. I also agree with you when you stated how technology has also made a large impact on the ways in which people get their information on sports. Now, you can access a game on multiple platforms such as your smart phone, television, tablet, computer, radio, etc. According to the Nielson report, “Year in Sports Media,” it states, The on-the-go convenience of a smartphone is a perfect fit for the dynamic, fast-paced world of sports. A collective 72.3 million Americans consumed a staggering 7.1 billion minutes of sports content in October 2014 alone, and those numbers will only continue to grow.”(Nielson)
ReplyDeleteSports are an important part of our society, and it seems as if it is something that will never die out. There are billions of sports fans, whose worlds live around their favorite teams and now Fantasy Sport’s allow people to feel as if they are a part of the team. I defiantly think that Fantasy Sports will continue to grow and make sports more popular, because just like social media, fans love the engagement. The more they feel connected with their favorite celebrity or sport teams, the more they will root for them. With the rise of social media, and apps, fans are now connected even more. According to the article, “How Fantasy Sports Are Scoring with Users,” it states,” Fantasy sports players are also taking their teams with them on the road, as more than 10 million Americans accessed fantasy football apps on their smartphones, up 15 percent from a year ago. Overall, fantasy football app users spent 2 hours 14 minutes per person, on average, using these smartphone apps during September 2013, and they opened them 27 times per person on average—that’s almost once a day.”(Nielson) As you could see, our smart phones, and apps have made it easy for fantasy football users to constantly be connected and I think that this trend will continue to grow.
"How Fantasy Sports Are Scoring Users." Nielson.com. Media and Entertainment, 26 Jan. 2013. Web.
"2014 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 6 April 2015. Web.
ReplyDeleteHey Eddie, this was a very well written article about how the sports fan base is expanding due to a growing presence on social media. This topic attracts me because it is absolutely relevant to the sports loving college student like myself and I was eager to read what you discovered. Prior to reading your blog post I had no idea that this expansion was occurring in such a rapid pattern, those Q2 results from 2013-2014 where staggering, but it didn’t stop there. According to the Nielson ratings document called “ A Year in Sports Media 2014” viewing grew 80% and 60% among Americans aged 35-49 and 50 – 64, with future predictions that are expected to continue growing. With this data it is hard to argue that anything can stand in the way of the further domination of sports. This year was a rough one especially for the NFL but you can’t argue with Nielson; the engaged fan base continues to be bullish.
Besides the mass marketing that is going into the promotion of sports, sporting companies or leagues such as the NFL, NHL, NBA and others, are all starting to make it necessary to use mobile devices in order to be able to use certain options. By doing this it is forcing users to change with the companies and be as current as possible when it comes to jumping on a new sports trend. One of these options is fantasy leagues. These fantasy leagues are games for sports fans where a player can pick athletes he or she thinks will do good this season and match them up against another person in their league. Fantasy Football as you stated has 35 million users, and since it’s introduction four years ago the NFL’s fan population has grown 10%. Recently Fantasy Football has signed an eight-year deal with Direct TV that is worth approximately 1.5 billion dollars according to Forbes. This isn’t the first time Fantasy sports have turned to TV, Fantasy Football uses NFL Redzone along with Fan TV and these two mergers are collaborating very nicely together. Clearly Fantasy football is a known moneymaker to these huge companies and as more and more companies take to a virtual platform, I wonder who else will make deals with Fantasy sports.
In your comment you prompted for us to answer a one question out of two, the question that I am picking is. Do you think that Fantasy football will continue to help sports grow? I say yes, absolutely fantasy football brings in huge amounts of money for the league and third party companies. It is also a very enjoyable activity and gives fans another reason to be excited for upcoming season. I know, I am an avid player. However with gambling platform there is always risk of bribes and cheating, and I think when steaks of bets become high enough where it influences a players decision to play the game properly, then we will have problems and regulations from the leagues.
Works Cited
"The World's 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2014." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
"2014 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 29 March 2015. Web.
"The Year in Sports: Digital Steps Up to the Plate." Nielsen.com. 5 Feb. 2015. Web.
Katie Phillips
ReplyDeleteEddie, I agree with what you said when you talked about how we have seen a direct link with the correlation between media popularity and sports popularity. Just like with celebrities, fans are now able to be a part of the athlete’s everyday lives through social media, which as you explained in your blog makes them feel a sense of familiarity to the athletes as if they actually know the person. However, there is a downfall to the usage of social media between athletes and fans. According to Yahoo Sports, “Much has been written about the threat that social media poses to young athletes. When they are feted at a party, they tend to tweet about it. Those tweets then tend to get noticed by coaches and, big surprise, the athletes suddenly look a lot less driven and promising than they did before those tweets and photos surfaced.” Yahoo Sports also went on to explain that coaches are now even beginning to question high schooler’s tweeting, they are now beginning to view tweeting as a sign that the athlete is not doing anything productive like studying or practicing for example. Athletes seem unaware about the fact that coaches are watching their every move and yes that includes their every move even on Twitter. Yahoo Sports reported how, We see everything from Twitter conversations to friend requests on Facebook to pictures from last night's party on Instagram," a Big East assistant football coach told Edgy Tim. "We see it all and we share that information back and forth in a moment's notice."Take former Don Presco Prep cornerback Yuri Wright for example; he was expelled from the NFL because of his X-Rated tweets. If athletes are being smart on Twitter that is one thing because being smart and keeping in touch with fans will bring nothing to the NFL but positive feedback, however if athletes decide to use poor judgment on social media, then it can be nothing less than a disaster.
When it comes to digital video viewing I thought it was an interesting how according to the blog the Year in Sports Report explained how, ““The growth in digital video viewing from 2013 to 2014 was nothing short of extraordinary, and not just among younger consumers. While the 18-34 set posted a 53% increase in digital viewing from Q2 2013 to Q2 2014, viewing grew an even more impressive 80% and 60% among Americans 35-49 and 50 – 64, respectively. Fans continue to increase consumption and engage with sports content in a variety of different ways across a multitude of devices.” This just goes to show that these numbers are just going to keep increasing dramatically. Another statistic that blew my mind was how,” According to Nielsen’s 2014 Year in Sports Report “more than 70 million people consumed sports on either their smartphones or computer in the third quarter of 2014. And of that group, the top 20%—10 million on phones, 15 million online—consumed 85% of the total sports minutes viewed in that quarter. Fans insatiable appetite for sports spans all forms of media, including radio. Sports radio attracts 23 million weekly listeners, who tune in for an average of four hours a week!”
I was happy that you talked about Fantasy Sports because I personally have never quite understood how it works and what the athletes and teams get out of these phenomena. I likw how you explained in your blog that according to a NFL.com Harris Poll that had taken place, “59 percent of Americans follow the NFL. This is up by more than 10 percentage points from the 47 percent who said they followed the NFL 10 years ago.” That statistic right their shows how huge of a part fantasy football has on the NFL. I had never realized that one of the reasons DirectTV is so popular is because of Fantasy Football.
"2014 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 29 March 2015. Web.
Smith, Cameron. "It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches," Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 Aoril 2013. Web.
I certainly agree that the proliferation of new media platforms and digital services has changed the way fans view sports. From smartphones to computers to radio, consumers are able to get their sports fix in a variety of ways and whenever they want. It is easier than ever to get up to the minute sports updates wherever fans are and without even searching a website or watching television thanks to sports news companies like ESPN that send notifications periodically right to consumers’ phones. Innovations of the digital age have effected and influenced consumption for many industries (music, film, television, etc.) so it comes as no surprise to me that the sports industry has seen dramatic changes as well in this regard.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I know very little about the sports world, I am aware of fantasy sports to some extent. I never really understood how it works but I have come to realize just how popular it has become and how devoted participants are to their league. I have heard people talking about their fantasy teams, particularly football, but never realized how obsessive people get over them until I read the Nielsen reports. They reported that in just one months time, the average person opened a fantasy football app an average of 27 times or nearly everyday in that month (Nielsen). That seems like a lot to me but I am sure it seems normal to an avid fan. Smartphones have really influenced this niche industry to the extent that fans have the ability to be constantly updated on their team and league. I also never realized that not only does the growth of fantasy sports allow fans to interact with their favorite sports and players in more ways, but it also is beneficial for advertisers. “[Sports wagering websites] provide marketers additional opportunities to advertise and engage with a wider audience” (Nielsen). So I can see how fantasy sports have become an important part of the sports industry as a whole not just for fans and sports companies but for marketers as well. I can only imagine that this part of the industry will continue to grow considering its current popularity and economic significance.
While I am not aware of what Red Zone, NFL Sunday Ticket, or Fantasy Zone have to offer or what they are all about, I do know that they are only available on Direct TV and I think that is a very smart tactic for this service provider. I often hear football fans rave about these channels so I guess Direct TV is doing something right. I would not be surprised if many fans have Direct TV just to get access to this package. I am surprised that other sports do not have similar packages or that other cable providers have not jumped on this opportunity (perhaps they do and I am just unaware). Forbes reported, “speculation is swirling that the NBA might follow the NFL’s model and carve out a package for a third rights holder to spread the wealth and boost the total value of the rights” (Badenhausen). I think this would be a smart move considering the popularity of the football package. In the future, I think it would not be far fetched to see other cable companies to try to have the NFL package because it will be a great source of revenue. The issue with this, I assume, is that the NFL has ties to Direct TV that will make it so other providers cannot offer such a package.
Works Cited
Badenhausen, Kurt. "As Stern Says Goodbye, Knicks, Lakers Set Records As NBA's Most Valuable Teams," Forbes 22 Jan. 2014. Web.
"Fantasy Big Leagues: How Fantasy Sports Are Scoring with Users." Nielsen.com. 26 Nov. 2013. Web.
"The Year in Sports: Digital Steps Up to the Plate." Nielsen.com. 5 Feb. 2015. Web.
Eddie, I agree that sports has become embedded in the average American life through media. It is truly amazing how much of an affect sports has on our society and how much coverage it gets from various media outlets. It’s in our TV’s, on our computer screens, and even in our mobile devices. Sports, specifically the NFL, has even conquered religion. Instead of going to church on Sunday, people congregate around flat screen TV’s and worship Ben Rothlisberger and Joe Flacco. So why is the media bombarding us with sports 24/7? Why are we so obsessed?
ReplyDeleteIt all comes down to the money. Sports, like every other industry, is a business – and like any other business, it all comes down to the dollar signs. In fact, sports franchises are worth more now than ever. Spain’s Real Madrid is the most expensive team in the world, with an estimated value at $3.44 billion. They generated $675 in the 2013 season – more than any other team in the world. (Badenhausen) Soccer is the most valued sport in the worldwide, but in the US, baseball and Football are the biggest franchises. The Yankees are worth $2.5 million dollars, and Dallas Cowboys are worth $2.3 billion. (Badenhausen)
So how does the media make money on this? The media and sports have a mutual beneficial relationship that builds off of each other. The media capitalizes on sports by making viewing more accessible. Viewership from smartphones increased by 45% since 2010, and tablet viewing increased 46%. (Nielsen) Greater viewer accessibility allows more people to watch the game. This increase in viewership increases overall popularity and allows the sports and teams to increase ticket and sponsor prices. An increase in revenue for the team means better equipment and the ability to buy better players. Having better player’s leads to increased viewership, which allows the media networks to charge more for their advertisements. It’s truly a beautiful relationship between industries that lets them form a powerhouse.
.....(see next post)
But how much is too much? Some may argue that the sports and media have become too big to fail. Media has embedded sports so far in our society, will we know when to take a step back and reevaluate what were doing? As a society, our obsession with sports allows athletes to be paid top dollar, but for what? Putting a ball in a basket? Getting a puck in a net? Floyd Mayweather earned $105 million during the past 12 months for 72 minutes of work inside the ring. (Badenhausen) Now you may argue that Mayweather is an exceptional athlete that put in a lot of hard work and respect to get where he is today. But how do you feel about supporting athletes such as Ray Rice and OJ Simpson? Because that is exactly what our society is doing.
ReplyDeleteAlthough sports industries do make a lot of revenue, it also costs millions of dollars for the audience – and not just in ticket and merchandise cost. A majority of stadiums are publicly funded. Cities normally go into debt building stadiums for their teams. And it’s the taxpaying fans that are providing the monetary funds to construct new stadiums – not the multimillion-dollar franchises or multibillion dollar monopolies like the NFL and the MLB. According to leading sports economists, stadiums and arenas “rarely bring about the promised prosperity, and instead leave cities and states mired in debt that they can't pay back before the franchise comes calling for more.” (Garofalo) The city council of Glendale, Arizona, decided to spend $324 million on the Phoenix Coyotes in 2012. The Coyotes (arguably one of the worst NFL teams in the league) single handedly sent their city, and fans, into a spiraling pit of debt. (Garofalo) Brazil is experiencing similar struggles after hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
So as profitably as sports seem, is it fair? Does the media ultimately give too much power to sport franchises? And why do we, as consumers, let it happen?
Citation
"2014 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 29 March 2015. Web.
Badenhausen, Kurt. "The World's 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2014." Forbes 18 July 2014. Web.
Badenhausen, Kurt. "Floyd Mayweather Heads 2014 List Of The World's Highest-Paid Athletes." Forbes 11 June 2014. Web.
Garofalo, Pat. “If You Build It, They Might Not Come: The Risky Economics of Sports Stadiums” The Atlantic 7 Sept. 2012. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.
Maggie Folsom
Eddy, I can relate to this topic very well. I am an avid football fan and one of my favorite things to do during the football season is play fantasy football. Mostly every single guy I know from my age to my Dad participate in fantasy football. It has created an extremely personal and new way for people to be engaged with football even when they are a fan of a team that is usually bad or is just having a bad year. I think that the fantasy football market is constantly growing and is going to be even bigger in years to come. Furthermore, I pay the extra money at school for NFL RedZone and my family has it at home for the specific purpose of fantasy football. I definitely think that different companies will be aiming to pick up similar packages to use because they are so popular. In the Nielson article it says “The growth of this niche industry has also picked up momentum as technological advances in interfaces, devices and statistical data aggregation have allowed players a way to easily check scores, adjust rosters and trash talk from anywhere and on any device—that’s light years from having to hand-tabulate player stats in the years before the digital age.” (Nielson) This just further shows the popularity of fantasy sports and the increasing impact that it is having on the progressing digital age.
ReplyDeleteAs the Nielson article says, the progression of the digital age can help in fantasy sports, but it can also help avid sports fans in other easier ways of following their favorite sports players. Stats of your favorite players can be found in seconds on any device that a media consumer has. It really is amazing to think how far we have come from recording and receiving statistics. I for one use Google and just search the team that I want to check on and immediately that teams most recent game score comes up along with their record and their past games if they won or lost. In the Nielson, Year of Sports, article it says “In fact, according to Nielsen’s 2014 Year in Sports Report, more than 70 million people consumed sports on either their smartphones or computer in the third quarter of 2014.” (Nielson) This statistic does not surprise me in the least. I check sports on my smart phone almost every single day, if not every day. Also, with more and more people using smart phones it will most likely make the number rise even higher.
The world of sports definitely has benefited from the rise of the digital age, especially because of all the new platforms and devices. Checking in on your favorite team’s record or your favorite players statistic is at the tip of your finger. Furthermore, if you are not interested in statistics or records, you can still relate to these players on a more personal level through their social media pages. I agree that the sporting world is evolving even more through the development of new media.
Work Cited
"The Year in Sports: Digital Steps Up to the Plate." Nielsen.com. 5 Feb. 2015. Web.
Fantasy Big Leagues: How Fantasy Sports Are Scoring with Users." Nielsen.com. 26 Nov. 2013. Web
Jessica Betsy
ReplyDeleteSports certainly do have such a profound impact on our society today. And the main reason why sports have such a great impact on us is due to the way technology has advanced. Technology has ultimately brought us together since we are able to connect with one another from afar and with those who we may not personally know, but in some way want to feel as though we do. In other words and for example, we are able to see what others, like athletes, are doing with their lives when they are not playing the sport they love. Whether we follow a basketball player from the Cleveland Cavaliers such as LeBron James on Instagram, or whether we follow the New England Patriots on Twitter to see what they were up to after they won the Super Bowl this year, or even if we download the ESPN app onto our phones to watch or read about an exclusive story like how some football players from the Green Bay Packers are in the movie Pitch Perfect 2, there are many different ways for us to feel as connected as we do with a player or team that we love.
On top of the ways we can become personally involved with athletes’ lives through different media platforms, we are also able to gain that personal connection with whoever it may be, anytime and anywhere. For example, we could be sitting in a classroom waiting for our Media Studies class to start, we could be on the train going into New York City for a job interview or we could even be on the beach during the hot summertime and ultimately log on to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or whatever it may be to see what our favorite athlete is doing that day. Though besides feeling personally connected with a certain athlete when they are off the field, court, ice, etc., due to our advanced technology, we can watch the player or rather the team we love play anywhere we are and at anytime as well. According to an article from Nielsen, it stated, “Sports fans, ever hungry for new content, have wholly embraced this newfound on-the-go convenience,” and the article goes on to say that, “The on-the-go convenience of a smartphone is a perfect fit for the dynamic, fast-paced world of sports. A collective 72.3 million Americans consumed a staggering 7.1 billion minutes of sports content in October 2014 alone, and those numbers will only continue to grow,” (2014 Year in Sports Media Report). Just like Eddy mentioned, these numbers do certainly show what kind of an impact the media has on sports.
Certainly so, the playing field has expanded. Eddy you said that “another area that the media has had a tremendous impact on in the sports world is the emergence of fantasy sports,” and I couldn’t agree more. With the help of fantasy football, fantasy baseball, etc., this fantasy idea is truly another way for us to become involved with the world of sports. It was a brilliant idea. And according to another article from Nielsen, it stated, “Although traditional fantasy leagues are as popular as ever, daily fantasy sports sites are driving additional growth in the arena,” adding that, “The sites have quickly gained in popularity by allowing consumers to play and win real money on fantasy matchups without committing to a full season of play” (The Year in Sports: Digital Steps Up to the Plate).
Truth is, whether we are following our favorite athlete or team on a social media platform, whether we are a part of a fantasy league with friends or whether we jump on board with the NFL Sunday ticket on Direct TV, like Eddy mentioned, it is ultimately how we as fans are connected. How we are personally connected and how much we feel a part of the sports world.
Works Cited
"2014 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 29 March 2015. Web.
"The Year in Sports: Digital Steps Up to the Plate." Nielsen.com. 5 Feb. 2015. Web.