1. Structural influences on equity and sports participation

2. Chapter overview Sport and the media
Reinforcing stereotypes through the media page 333
Sport as a business
The commodification of sport page 338
Sports marketing page 341
Sponsorship page 344
Sexploitation page 349
Government funding and development programs
Elite versus participation funding page 353
Development programs for the grassroots page 356
Now that you’ve finished … answers

3. Back to
chapter overview
Sport and the media
Page 333

4. Sport and the media
The media affects our emotions and helps shape our attitudes.
The media has increased Australian access to many sports.
Coverage of men’s and women’s sport is not equal.
Change towards equity is very slow in occurring, and equal coverage in the near future is unlikely.

5. Reinforcing stereotypes through the media
Back to
chapter overview
Reinforcing stereotypes through the media
Page 333

6. Reinforcing stereotypes through media
Stereotypes are reinforced through:
Commentary
Article headlines
Positioning of articles
Imagery used
Author bias

7. Female athletes in the media
Ability secondary to looks
Often portrayed in passive or supportive roles
Smaller articles, usually at back of sports section
Limited televised coverage, outside of prime viewing time
Language
Emphasis on physical attractiveness
Refer to “Just how uneven is the coverage?”, pages 336–337

8. Male athletes in the media
Athletes portrayed as active and physical
Language reinforces aggression
Dominates sports pages
Significant events accorded front page status
State of Origin
World Cup qualification
Gold medals
Prime-time coverage
Free to air
Fox sports

9. Back to
chapter overview
Sport as a business
Page 338

10. Sport as a business Mass media has elevated sport into big business
Team ownership
Television rights
Player management
Sports marketing

11. The commodification of sport
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chapter overview
The commodification of sport
Page 338

12. Commodification of sport
A commodity is anything that can be bought and sold.
SPORT = BUSINESS
The commodification of sport is the process of turning sport into a marketable business
Commodification has seen the formation of companies to manage large sporting competitions

13. Sport is a form of entertainment Sport must change to meet:
Social demands (time constraints)
Social expectations (more exciting)
Examples:
Cricket
NRL
Limited (50) over matches
2 referees
Twenty20 matches
Limited number of interchanges
3rd umpire
Video referee

14. Back to
chapter overview
Sports marketing
page 341

15. How many items of sporting merchandise do you own?
Sports marketing
Promotional strategies to increase awareness
Advertising
Merchandise
Media exposure
Product changes
Personal reflection
How many items of sporting merchandise do you own?
How has the commodification of sport influenced how you watch and participate in sport?

16. Marketing in school sports
Methods used to increase participation and awareness
Assembly presentations
Sign up days
Notices and posters
Interschool sports
Lunchtime competitions

17. Personal reflection
What has your school done to market the sport you are currently studying?

18. Back to
chapter overview
Sponsorship
Page 344

19. Sponsorship A positive association with a team or individual
Allocation of sponsorship is linked to:
Success of team or individual
Media coverage of sport
Cultural significance of sport
Personal reflection
Have you ever witnessed a sports star engage in on- or off-field antics that have gained them notoriety?

20. Sponsoring individual athletes
FRED principle F
Familiarity
Athlete perceived as friendly and trustworthy R
Relevance
A positive link to product and athlete E
Esteem
Respect for the athlete to increase credibility D
Differentiation
An athlete who stands out from the others

21. Back to
chapter overview
Sexploitation
Page 349

22. Sexploitation
Any form of marketing that focuses on sexual attributes and attractiveness of the athlete.
The difference between the men’s and women’s beach volleyball uniforms is an example of the sexploitation of female athletes.

23. Sexploitation continued
More likely with female sports to generate sponsorship and exposure
Can trivialise sporting achievements
Uniform regulations are not equitable (male versus female)
Photographs of models in swimwear is inappropriate and irrelevant to sport
Sexploitation is a marketing strategy that can backfire
Can create anxiety and embarrassment
Poor self esteem and body image issues

24. Government funding and development programs
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chapter overview
Government funding and development programs
Page 352

25. Government funding and development programs
Raised Australia’s international profile
Government funding and developmental initiatives began in the 1970s
Failure to win gold at 1976 Montreal Olympics saw the development of AIS

26. Elite versus participation funding
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chapter overview
Elite versus participation funding
Page 353

27. Elite versus participation funding
Crawford Report 2009 investigated the allocation of government funding for sport and physical recreation
Discovered a bias towards Olympic sports (80% of funding)
2 major recommendations:
Direct more government funding towards sports with higher participation numbers
Maintain current funding to elite programs (Olympics)

28. Development programs for the grassroots
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chapter overview
Development programs for the grassroots
Page 356

29. Development programs for the grassroots
Sporting associations target hundreds of thousands of Australian children to communicate a positive message about sports participation.
Examples of modified versions:
Auskick
Little Athletics
Aussie Hoops
Milo Soccer
Hot Shot Tennis
Netta Netball
Kanga Cricket
Oztag
Kids to Kangaroos
Try Rugby

30. Personal reflection
What experiences have you had with modified sports?
Did these experiences encourage you to continue your participation in this sport?
Which sporting associations in your community work to increase participation in sport?

31. Now that you have finished ...
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chapter overview
Now that you have finished ...
Answers

32. Sport is highly valued in Australian society.
1 a Provide three reasons to explain why the media dedicates an increasingly large amount of time and space to sports reporting.
Sport is highly valued in Australian society.
Commodification of sport.
Saturation of sports marketing.
Increased professionalism of sport.

33. 1 b Use your response above to justify how society’s attitudes and beliefs about sport (cultural level) are being reinforced through the media.
In the cultural chapter, we discussed the need for Australian men’s success in sport being of paramount importance, leading to increased national pride, recognition and status. This train of thought has survived the past century and can still be seen today.
As women were latecomers to competitive and representative sport, their success today is often considered to be a bonus on top of the men’s achievements. The media perpetuates this and a good example of this can be seen with the reporting around the swimming achievements from the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics. These events should have cemented Australia’s female swim team as a superpower in the pool, rather their achievement was devalued by the focus by the media on the men’s performance. Initially, their success was celebrated widely in both print and electronic media giving them their much needed and sought after coverage. This coverage was short lived, however, and the focus soon turned to the deemed ‘failure’ of the men’s swim team who, in comparison, achieved a limited medal haul. This apparent failure of the men was more newsworthy as it threatened the identity of Australia as a successful sporting nation.

34. 2. Which sports dominate the following
2 Which sports dominate the following? a nightly television news broadcasts b newspaper articles
SUMMER
WINTER
Cricket
Rugby League
Football (Soccer)
AFL
Tennis
Horse racing
Male sports dominate the news regardless of the season.
A brief mention may be given to national teams who achieve success overseas
Even during the Commonwealth Games, NRL and AFL dominated news coverage.

35. Cultural significance based on previous success
3 List the factors that determine which sports receive greater publicity.
Cultural significance based on previous success
International exposure to promote Australian excellence
International success
National competition
Individual teams based in a city (Broncos, Melbourne Storm, Brisbane Roar)
Seasonal:
Summer/Winter
Olympic/Commonwealth year
Sport stars
Status
Looks
Marketability

36. Broncos would receive less publicity. Structural:
4 Would the Broncos receive more or less publicity through the Townsville media? Can this be explained using Figueroa’s levels? How?
Broncos would receive less publicity.
Structural:
Media promoting “local team”
Players used in the local media
Johnathon Thurston (Australian halfback)
Institutional:
Successful NRL team based in one city
Promotion opportunities at community level
Facilities
Schools
Scholarships
Interpersonal
Role models (Increased Familiarity & Relevance)

37. Attractive athletes have greater marketing opportunities
5 Discuss how sex appeal can be used by both male and female athletes to gain sponsorship.
Attractive athletes have greater marketing opportunities
Greater media exposure through various outlets
Commercials
Advertising
Calenders
Magazines
Uniforms:
Body hugging and revealing
Enhance and promote physical qualities needed for sport
AFL/NRL
Requirements can be different for each sex
Beach volleyball
Touch football

38. 6 a Define commodification
The commodification of sport can be described as the process of developing sport into a marketable business.
Changing sport into a commodity has seen the formation of companies that manage:
large sporting competitions
Individual sporting teams
Individuals

39. 6 b Which level of Figueroa’s framework can be linked to commodification?
INSTITUTIONAL
Facilities
School competitions
INTERPERSONAL
Role models
CULTURAL
Selected sports
Societal demands
Entertainment
STRUCTURAL
Media
Rules
Marketing
Funding

40. 6 c List five ways in which commodification has occurred in sport.
Rule changes to increase the entertainment value
National sporting competitions
Full-time careers for athletes (professionals)
Television rights
Player management companies to negotiate player contracts
Merchandise of clothing and equipment
Use of technology to improve playing equipment and performance

41. 7. The Twenty20 Indian Premier League is extremely successful in India
7 The Twenty20 Indian Premier League is extremely successful in India. Could this type of competition be as successful in Australia? Justify your response using elements from Figueroa’s framework.
The Australian Twenty 20 will be successful as has been shown in the article “Twenty 20 bashing for test cricket” (page 340).
Indian-run competitions (IPL and Champions League) will continue to be bigger.
Cultural:
Cricket is part of Australia’s sporting history and identity
Structural:
Provides the opportunity for a league-type competition like AFL
Generates revenue
Easy to follow
Similar to league competitions like Rugby League or AFL – crossover appeal
Amount of prize money is staggering ($13.3million)

42. 8. What is the acronym that is used to select marketable athletes
8 What is the acronym that is used to select marketable athletes? What does it stand for?
FRED principle F
Familiarity
Athlete perceived as friendly and trustworthy R
Relevance
A positive link to product and athlete E
Esteem
Respect for the athlete to increase credibility D
Differentiation
An athlete who stands out from the others

43. Risk of international sporting image tarnished
9 What factors prompted the government to develop the Australian Institute of Sport?
Government had already introduced various initiatives to increase the Australian involvement in sport (1972)
Perceived failure of Australian athletes at the 1976 Montreal Olympics (no gold medals)
Risk of international sporting image tarnished
Other nations were increasing funding for the development of:
Sports training facilities
Talent identification programs

44. 10 Governments spend enormous amounts of money to secure sporting events. Why? Link your answer to relevant levels from Figueroa’s framework.
Cultural level (dominant)
International recognition to raise Australia’s profile
Tourism opportunities
Employment
Structural level
Business opportunities
Institutional level
Better facilities for communities after the event has been staged
Interpersonal level
Elite international super stars as role models
Increased merchandising sales
Exchange of coaching ideas
Individual level
Increased opportunities for participation (qualification)

45. Image credits Slide 1, Getty Images/Victor Decolongon
Slide 4, Getty Images/Hamish Blair
Slide 7, Getty Images/AFP/Jean-Pierre Muller
Slide 8, Getty Images/Mark Nolan
Slide 10, Getty Images/Matt King
Slide 12, AAP Image/Haystac Active
Slide 15, Getty Images/Bradley Kanaris
Slide 16, Newspix/Gary Graham
Slide 19, AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy
Slide 22, Getty Images/AFP/Thomas Coex
Slide 22, Getty Images/Harry How
Slide 25, AAP Image/AP Photo
Slide 25, Getty Images/AFP/Torsten Blackwood