COMM 4250 - Sports and the Media

(SBA-AG)

Spring. 3 credits. Student option grading (no audit).

Prerequisite: COMM 2820, COMM 2200, and junior standing.

S. Byrne.

This course will introduce the student to various aspects of the sports-media-audience relationship, including the history of sports and the media, the industries that constitute sports media, the audiences drawn to and affected by sports media, and the social issues that arise from sports media. Topics include 1.The Media Industry/The Business of Sports, The History of Sports Media, Sports Media Fans and Audiences, Sports and Emotion, Gender and Sports, LGBT sports (anyone can play campaign), Race/ethnicity and Sports, Politics and Sports, Sports and Violence, Sports and Social Media/ Fantasy, The Mediated Olympics.

Outcome 1: Obtain an understanding of the history and the current state of the various print and electronic media industries that cover and program sports.

Outcome 2: Gain perspective on how audiences are motivated to view and derive enjoyment from mediated sports.

Outcome 3: Engage in critical thinking and debate about various social issues arising from the sports-media relationship.

Outcome 4: Articulate through several assignments and a major paper a social-scientific understanding of the relationship between audiences, sports, and the media.