Sunday, October 16, 2011

The Future of Sport Communication

Throughout the course, we have seen the extensive strides and growth that have occurred in sports media and communication.  We started out with having no coverage of sports at all.  Then there were the developments of the radio and newspaper.  Then television came along and completely changed the way sports were covered.  With the developments of the radio, newspaper, and television, a career in sports media became more apparent and important.  Once we thought that sports coverage had reached its peak with cable television, the Internet was founded and once again completely changed the coverage and media outlets for sports.  Will it stop there?  Doubt it.
Stemming from the Internet, there have been new ways for teams, leagues, players, and coaches to connect to the outside world and their fans.  Twitter and other social networks as allowed for the insiders (players, coaches, etc.) to relay their message to the outsiders (fans, media, etc.).  This allows for sports fans to feel a sense of intimacy with their favorite athletes and teams.  On the other side, the players get to make sure their message gets out the way that they want it.  They don’t have to worry about a news reporter misconstruing their words and relaying the wrong message.  Therefore, in the future, I can see the internet being used to conduct interviews or conferences of coaches and players.  I can also see it as a device for players and teams to be able to relay messages to the world.  The internet will continue to grow and I believe be the main source of sports coverage.  This is a way for fans to get information inexpensively and can avoid sitting through commercials and interruptions.  The Internet will continue to grow and build in the infrastructure of streaming live videos.      
Technology alone will continue to grow in the sports industry and the way sport is covered.  In the next few years, we will no longer see sports reporters and journalists carrying about pen and paper.  The pen and paper will dissolve in the sports communication careers and profession.  It will all be done with technology devices.  We have already seen the growth of technology devices finding their way to sports communication.  It has been seen as quicker, more reliable, and efficient in many ways.  Reporters and journalists will practically be able to have their stories written before they even leave the event.  
Even though the Internet has and I believe will become the number one source for fans to catch highlights, news, and information regarding certain sporting events and news, the television will still be a major outlet for sport communication.  Leagues and teams will continue to look into developing and managing their own media companies.  For example, the aspects and characteristics of a network like the NFL network will continue to be seen throughout other leagues and even teams.  This will result in more games being broadcasted as well as more insider or behind-the-scene capabilities for fans.  
I am hopeful that with all the growth that will continue within sport communication, that we can see more media outlets directed toward women sports.  There is definitely room for growth in this area.  People may be uninterested in this now, but it is due to the lack of connection and outlets that people have to women’s sports.  I believe that this will be an area in which sport communication will grow in the next few years.  

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