In the new era of social media and news coverage, sport has become an even bigger entity. Various organisations, corporations and companies engage within social media to deliver news, to grow their audience.
This new era of sport has had an overarching effect on me and which media publications I follow on social media to access my news. Reputable companies such as ESPN, Fox Sports and Bleacher Report all have apps and social media in which I gain my news from. These media publications and their social medias are controlled by professionals who cater to a specific sport. For instance, on Bleacher Report you can set your favourite teams and leagues to get news catered to you, based on the professionals’ research skills. Sharing videos on social media allow for a wider spread of audience and for a simple recap of the news based on shows on set publication. This is key, allowing for a further spread of a corporation from a local to global scale.
Who controls these media entities matter as they have a huge reputation on delivering sports news worldwide. If a company is reputable online and looks to expand, it matters who controls the company in order to keep the longevity of the company as well as its reputation. In accordance with, Nicholson’s book Sports and the Media: Managing the Nexus quotes in page 168 that “the amount and quality of media coverage is dependent on factors such as the level of the sport organisation (national, state, regional or local)”. This is key, as many sports which may have a national interest may turn into a worldwide interest. A key example of this is the emergence of the NBA over the last 20 years and its worldwide appeal. Therefore, it highly matters who controls these media companies so that those who live overseas have the same reach for the sport or team they follow as those who live locally within that sport organisation’s town. For me, I want to know the same news for my team Liverpool as someone who lives over there. Therefore, whoever controls their socials has a responsibility to deliver the news ASAP, so that in all time zones people can wake up to the news, allowing for a universal spread of information.
ESPN, Bleacher Report and Fox Sports have never really been involved in any trouble or scandals. With their track record, and Bleacher Report producing exclusive content for fans through players, I have a massive trust in the news sources. ESPN delivers news from the US straight to Australia, showing replays of shows and sharing stats about all sports. Americans love their stats. This instant share through their social media and channel allows for people in this country to be united with an international audience, and this way I trust the news publication. Fox Sports are a reputable company, who I have worked closely with, so I trust them completely and their sports analysis as it is by former professionals and those who have studied the game. Listening to top individuals allows for a better understanding of the sport, and a further trust in the news corporation.
Overall, media control is important for the further spread and influence of the company worldwide.
References
Nicholson, M, Kerr, A and Sherwood M, 2007, Sports and the Media: Managing the Nexus, London and New York, Routledge, page 168.
Mangalassery, M, Pixabay Photos, silhouette of a boy playing ball during sunset, photograph, accessed 16th of April 2020, “https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-of-a-boy-playing-ball-during-sunset-978695/” rel=”nofollow”>Pexels.com</a
Mavro Productions 