Sunday, January 25, 2009

History of Sports on Television

Hello everyone. My name is Ashley Mayry. I have decided to blog about sports on television, due to the fact that I play softball on a daily basis, and that I am constantly watching it on television. In American society, sports play a huge role in most's lives. I myself began playing sports (tee-ball) when I was five! Within pro-sports, there are millions of dollars spent on advertising, maketing, etc...., there are scandals, and alot of violence. One question that arises from this is, "Does sports media have an effect on society?" In my opinion it does. Kids see those athletes on television, and decide that's who they want to be, and then at times even try to be like their favorite athlete. And these athletes we see on television are not always the best role models.

So too start off my blogging, I am going to give a brief history of sports coverage in the mass media. The first actual televised sporting event was a college baseball game between Princeton and Columbia Universities in the year 1939 (Baran 1). Then, in 1944, the first network sports broadcast appeared by NBC's network, a boxing championship (Baran 1). To see more on the history of sports on television there is more on this link I have provided. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/sportsandte/sportsandte.htm

Today, television has a profound effect on the life of sports. I think without television, sports would have a hard time advertising. Television allows for people to stay in the comfort of their own homes, never having to leave to actually go to the event wherever it is being played. And, the advertising that television does allow, gets some of the people out there to the actual event. Just look at the major championships they put on television, the super bowl, world series, the NBA finals, and so many others. They pull in millions of dollars for advertisements, causing people to not only watch the event, but possibly buy that product. Sports have more effect on us than just the enjoyment of watching the big game, but possibly also on our decisions we make as consumers.
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2 comments:

  1. Kyle's BlogsJanuary 28, 2009 at 3:27 PM

    Sports have affected many people who enjoy the games but can't attend games regularly. Sports at that time in history was very helpful to those who were not fighting WWII. Turning on the TV to watch sports helped to take their minds off the war and to enjoy whatever game they watched. Watching a favorite sport also helps to aspire kids to exercise and engage in a team game.

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  2. shad-16January 30, 2009 at 5:14 PM

    Ashley, I agree with you in saying that sports media has an effect on society. Because not only does it allow people to view things from their own home but it allows other products to advertise during the game on the in venue advertisements but also during commercials. Also, kids do watch the sports with their parents and even on their own and they will watch say Manny Ramirez step up to the plate and hit a home run and they will go out and attempt the same thing.
    Some people might think allowing sports on TV would be a price cut for them, but they make that up if not profit from it in advertisements.

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