1. The sport ethic &
the mainstream sports media
BRIAN MORITZ
Ph.D. STUDENT • S.I. NEWHOUSE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS • SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
SPORTSMANSHIP DAY SYMPOSIUM • SUNY OSWEGO • MARCH 7, 2013
2. Introduction
1991 – Hughes and Coakley develop The Sport Ethic.
How is this perpetuated by mainstream sports media, if at
all?
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
3. Why we’re here
Purpose statement
Examine how the
mainstream sports media
helps promote and
perpetuate The Sport Ethic.
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
4. The Sport Ethic
Definition
“Being an athlete involves making sacrifices for The Game”
“Being an athlete involves striving for distinction”
“Being an athlete involves accepting risks and playing through pain”
“Being an athlete involves refusing to accept limits in the pursuit of
possibilities”
- Hughes and Coakley, 1991
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
5. The Sport Ethic
Why it matters
SO WHAT?
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
6. The Sport Ethic
Why it matters
Deviant overconformity
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
7. PTI
About the show
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
8. PTI
About the show
“When PTI went on the air, and it was on the TV
sets in the sports department at the Washington
Post, people didn’t even look up. They’d heard us
argue so many times, they simply assumed we
were in the building.”
- Tony Kornheiser
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
9. Theory
Gatekeeping
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
10. Theory
Framing
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
11. Research questions
RQ1: How do the topics selected for
inclusion in a PTI broadcast reflect The
Sport Ethic?
RQ2: How do the way in which the hosts
discuss the topics in a PTI broadcast reflect
and perpetuate The Sport Ethic.
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
12. How I did it
Method
Qualitative textual analysis of PTI podcasts.
Constructed week sample (Riffe, Aust & Lacy, 1993).
Five weeks, starting Monday March 26, 2012.
91 total stories coded (One interview).
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
13. What I found
Results
“Dedication to The Game.”
• Mariano Rivera’s injury – “He’s not going to have it aborted like this.”
• Lamar Odom’s reality show – distracted from “the game.”
• Proper attitude – the right way to play the game.
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
14. What I found
Results
“Striving for distinction.”
• Winning matters above everything else.
• “Tiger didn’t get to be Tiger by winning one.”
• “If they lose, if you don’t close, people are gonna say it’s her fault.”
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
15. What I found
Results
“Accepting risks, playing through pain”
• “It’s a sign of respect, to play him hard.”
• Wright “had had trouble staying on the field lately.”
• Not often mentioned
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
16. What I found
Results
“Accept no limits”
• Rivera’s planned comeback
• Tiger Woods’ struggles to return
• Only tangential references.
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
17. What I learned
Discussion
Strive for distinction by far the most
prominent, followed by dedication.
No real references to accepting risk (luck of
the sample) or no limits (nature of show).
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
18. What I learned
Discussion
Stories picked reflect the ethic,
discussion didn’t always.
Suggests that Gatekeeping practices
perpetuate The Sport Ethic,
but not Framing.
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
19. CONTACT
BRIAN MORITZ
Ph.D. STUDENT
S.I. Newhouse School of Public
Communications
Syracuse University
http://about.me/BrianMoritz
bmoritz@syr.edu
BRIAN MORITZ • The sport ethic & the mainstream sports media •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
