Week 1 – topic 1 – sports and mediatization
Levels of analysis
1) Macro = societal level (e.g. how do media technologies change or create sports?)
broadcasting
State/government, media as a institution
2) Meso = at the institutional level (e.g. how do sport clubs employ media to reach their
fans?)
social media
Sport and media organisations, sponsors
3) Micro = at the individual level (e.g. how do recreational athletes use sport apps?)
personal goals with apps
E.g. fans and athletes
Overarching concept of topic: mediatization
- How media and communications are embedded in everyday life and how other
institutions adapt to media.
- Mediatization research aims to understand the role of media as agents of social and
cultural change.
- It occurs alongside other trends like commercialization, digitalization and
globalization
- Mediatization is a nonlinear and multidimensional process
Mediatisation: a ‘sensitizing concept’
’Sensitizing concepts give the user a general sense of reference and guidance in approaching
empirical instances. Whereas definitive concepts provide prescriptions of what to see,
sensitizing concepts merely suggest directions along which to look.’ (Blumer 1954, p. 7)
Sensitizing concepts act as starting points for investigation. They are flexible and
adaptable.
Two research traditions of mediatization.
1. Social constructivist: How media affect daily social practices
concerts now with a lot of phones
2. Institutional: How media shape other social institutions
VAR room, repeat the scene, not only one person deciding.
Social-constructivist approach
How do media impact the way individuals practice and experience sports?
zombies run, running app, more exciting, different running
sportapps with prestations, faking, more about status
for athlethes maybe more prestation pressure etc
Institutional approach
- Media are powerful agents with their own goals, interests and values
- ‘Mediatisation’ is the way that other institutions adjust to the logic of the media
institution: you need to play the game by the media’s rules
, - All societal institutions (family, politics, business, sport…) are to a certain degree
exposed to media(tization) pressures
- Sport and media: a symbiotic relationship
Key waves in the history of mediatization and sports
Matrix of Dependencies and Social Systems of Mediatisation of Sport – licen et al., 2022
Transactional: media bericht over sport, Ritiual: past zich aa naan media, Functional: media
en sport wordt verweven
1. Atleten (Interaction/ Structure)
- Transactional dependency: Een sporter geeft een interview na een wedstrijd.
- Ritual dependency: Sporters volgen mediatraining en gebruiken vaste uitspraken of
poses voor camera’s.
- Functional dependency: Atleten verdienen geld via social media en sponsordeals.
2. Sportorganisaties (Organization / Institution)
- Transactional dependency: Een sportbond verkoopt uitzendrechten aan een tv-
zender.
- Ritual dependency: Wedstrijden worden gepland op tijden die gunstig zijn voor tv-
kijkers.
- Functional dependency: Clubs of bonden hebben eigen mediakanalen en
productieteams.
3. Samenleving (Society/ Context)
- Transactional dependency: Sport verschijnt als nieuws en entertainment in media.
, - Ritual dependency: Grote sportevenementen worden vaste kijkmomenten in het
dagelijks leven.
- Functional dependency: E-sports en online fitness bestaan vrijwel volledig via media.
Schulz's Four Dimensions of Mediatization
1. Extension: Media extends our capacity to communicate beyond immediate physical
contexts.
2. Substitution: Media can replace physical activities or interactions
3. Amalgamation: Media and non-media activities become interlinked
4. Accommodation: Individuals and institutions adapt their practices and knowledge to
align with media norms
Short and examples
1. Extension = reach further share results on Strava, Instagram etc
2. Substitution = replacement watch game online, work-out online YouTube videos
3. Amalgamation = interlinked running while listening to fitness app, videos to train
4. Accommodation = adapting adapt training to get better statistic on Strava etc.
videos to become better, dance celebrations
, Week 1 – topic 2 - sport & politics
Sport and politics: two separate worlds?
The geopolitical economy of sport
- Sport is interconnected with issues of geography, politics, and economics
- Sports also have significant economic impact, with sports strategies influencing
national economies
- Politicians (governments) often use sport to achieve broader geopolitical and
economic goals
- Trump awarded FIFA peace price
Olympics as well
- Propaganda tool for nazi-regime
- Black power salute by US athletes Smith and Carlos
- South Africa boycotted
- Sport boycott against Russia
Sports as stage of protests
Sport and politics: the case of F1
Power struggle between actors: Sport federation FIA versus athletes
drivers banned from making political statements
1. Sportwashing
Sportwashing verwijst naar het strategisch inzetten van sport door staten, organisaties of
bedrijven om hun internationale imago en reputatie te verbeteren, vaak om negatieve
aandacht af te leiden van mensenrechtenschendingen, corruptie of autoritair bestuur.
Grix et al (2023): Sportswashing takes two to tango
- Using sport to influence international perception and reputation.
- Sportswashing seen as first step towards soft power gains.
- Grix et al: multiple parties benefit!
- Exchange of cultural prestige (Western entities) and economic capital (non-
democratic regimes).
Assemblage thinking
Met assemblage thinking wordt sportwashing gezien als een dynamisch netwerk van
actoren, belangen en praktijken, in plaats van een strak gepland top-down proces.
Sportswashing is an interplay of various actors and interests:
o Legitimacy and (cultural) prestige in exchange for economic benefits.
Adaptive and evolving in nature, going through three phases:
1. Public outcry, critical media coverage
2. Conflict of narratives
3. Normalisation (everyone accepts)
Levels of analysis
1) Macro = societal level (e.g. how do media technologies change or create sports?)
broadcasting
State/government, media as a institution
2) Meso = at the institutional level (e.g. how do sport clubs employ media to reach their
fans?)
social media
Sport and media organisations, sponsors
3) Micro = at the individual level (e.g. how do recreational athletes use sport apps?)
personal goals with apps
E.g. fans and athletes
Overarching concept of topic: mediatization
- How media and communications are embedded in everyday life and how other
institutions adapt to media.
- Mediatization research aims to understand the role of media as agents of social and
cultural change.
- It occurs alongside other trends like commercialization, digitalization and
globalization
- Mediatization is a nonlinear and multidimensional process
Mediatisation: a ‘sensitizing concept’
’Sensitizing concepts give the user a general sense of reference and guidance in approaching
empirical instances. Whereas definitive concepts provide prescriptions of what to see,
sensitizing concepts merely suggest directions along which to look.’ (Blumer 1954, p. 7)
Sensitizing concepts act as starting points for investigation. They are flexible and
adaptable.
Two research traditions of mediatization.
1. Social constructivist: How media affect daily social practices
concerts now with a lot of phones
2. Institutional: How media shape other social institutions
VAR room, repeat the scene, not only one person deciding.
Social-constructivist approach
How do media impact the way individuals practice and experience sports?
zombies run, running app, more exciting, different running
sportapps with prestations, faking, more about status
for athlethes maybe more prestation pressure etc
Institutional approach
- Media are powerful agents with their own goals, interests and values
- ‘Mediatisation’ is the way that other institutions adjust to the logic of the media
institution: you need to play the game by the media’s rules
, - All societal institutions (family, politics, business, sport…) are to a certain degree
exposed to media(tization) pressures
- Sport and media: a symbiotic relationship
Key waves in the history of mediatization and sports
Matrix of Dependencies and Social Systems of Mediatisation of Sport – licen et al., 2022
Transactional: media bericht over sport, Ritiual: past zich aa naan media, Functional: media
en sport wordt verweven
1. Atleten (Interaction/ Structure)
- Transactional dependency: Een sporter geeft een interview na een wedstrijd.
- Ritual dependency: Sporters volgen mediatraining en gebruiken vaste uitspraken of
poses voor camera’s.
- Functional dependency: Atleten verdienen geld via social media en sponsordeals.
2. Sportorganisaties (Organization / Institution)
- Transactional dependency: Een sportbond verkoopt uitzendrechten aan een tv-
zender.
- Ritual dependency: Wedstrijden worden gepland op tijden die gunstig zijn voor tv-
kijkers.
- Functional dependency: Clubs of bonden hebben eigen mediakanalen en
productieteams.
3. Samenleving (Society/ Context)
- Transactional dependency: Sport verschijnt als nieuws en entertainment in media.
, - Ritual dependency: Grote sportevenementen worden vaste kijkmomenten in het
dagelijks leven.
- Functional dependency: E-sports en online fitness bestaan vrijwel volledig via media.
Schulz's Four Dimensions of Mediatization
1. Extension: Media extends our capacity to communicate beyond immediate physical
contexts.
2. Substitution: Media can replace physical activities or interactions
3. Amalgamation: Media and non-media activities become interlinked
4. Accommodation: Individuals and institutions adapt their practices and knowledge to
align with media norms
Short and examples
1. Extension = reach further share results on Strava, Instagram etc
2. Substitution = replacement watch game online, work-out online YouTube videos
3. Amalgamation = interlinked running while listening to fitness app, videos to train
4. Accommodation = adapting adapt training to get better statistic on Strava etc.
videos to become better, dance celebrations
, Week 1 – topic 2 - sport & politics
Sport and politics: two separate worlds?
The geopolitical economy of sport
- Sport is interconnected with issues of geography, politics, and economics
- Sports also have significant economic impact, with sports strategies influencing
national economies
- Politicians (governments) often use sport to achieve broader geopolitical and
economic goals
- Trump awarded FIFA peace price
Olympics as well
- Propaganda tool for nazi-regime
- Black power salute by US athletes Smith and Carlos
- South Africa boycotted
- Sport boycott against Russia
Sports as stage of protests
Sport and politics: the case of F1
Power struggle between actors: Sport federation FIA versus athletes
drivers banned from making political statements
1. Sportwashing
Sportwashing verwijst naar het strategisch inzetten van sport door staten, organisaties of
bedrijven om hun internationale imago en reputatie te verbeteren, vaak om negatieve
aandacht af te leiden van mensenrechtenschendingen, corruptie of autoritair bestuur.
Grix et al (2023): Sportswashing takes two to tango
- Using sport to influence international perception and reputation.
- Sportswashing seen as first step towards soft power gains.
- Grix et al: multiple parties benefit!
- Exchange of cultural prestige (Western entities) and economic capital (non-
democratic regimes).
Assemblage thinking
Met assemblage thinking wordt sportwashing gezien als een dynamisch netwerk van
actoren, belangen en praktijken, in plaats van een strak gepland top-down proces.
Sportswashing is an interplay of various actors and interests:
o Legitimacy and (cultural) prestige in exchange for economic benefits.
Adaptive and evolving in nature, going through three phases:
1. Public outcry, critical media coverage
2. Conflict of narratives
3. Normalisation (everyone accepts)
