Week 10: Carroll and Fortunato

The first article, “A Perfect Baseball Day” Black Press Coverage of the East-West Classic by Brian Carroll discussed the role that black media played in making the Negro League’s East-West Classic such a huge phenomenon and a legitimate rival to Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. The East-West Classic was first played in 1933, and featured the best African-American baseball players, guys like Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell and Oscar Charleston.

                Black newspapers of the time, like the Chicago Defender and the Pittsburgh Courier-Journal pulled out all the stops in covering the event. They would have stories in the days leading up to the game, the day of, and days after the game, making it into the spectacle that it became during the 1930s and 1940s, the height of the event’s popularity. The most amazing thing that I took from this article was that not only black people attended. Approximately  5,000 white fans would show up to this annual event. Also, there was one particular year where nearly 8,000 more people showed up to the East-West Classic than showed up to a Cubs game on the same day in the same city. That’s crazy to think about.

                The second article, The relationship of fantasy football participation with NFL television ratings analyzed a study done to determine whether or not the National Football League and its TV partners, specifically NBC (Sunday Night Football) and ESPN (Monday Night Football), should use the popularity of fantasy football to influence their scheduling of games. Fantasy football, in recent years, has skyrocketed in popularity. Even if you don’t play fantasy sports, you know what they are. And the NFL especially has fantasy sports to thank for some of their viewership.

                Personally, one of the main reasons I play fantasy sports is so that I have can have a vested interest in the games that don’t involve the teams that I am a fan of. I will always watch the Raiders, the Celtics, and the Phillies when they are on, while a Yankees/Orioles game or a Vikings/Rams game wouldn’t typically intrigue me. That being said, if I have C.C. Sabathia on my fantasy team, or if I decide to start Sam Bradford against the lowly Vikings defense, I am going to have interest in both of those games. Even if money is not involved, it’s that competitive nature that makes people flock to fantasy sports.

                Based on the study results, there are certain instances where the NFL should definitely use fantasy football as a factor in scheduling there games. People, the results showed, were more likely to watch the games that had heavily used fantasy players in them. For example, an Aaron Rodgers –led Packers team going up against Adrian Peterson and the Vikings will probably be watched more than the Buccaneers, with no notable star players, face the Jaguars, another lowly team. 

Week #10

Matt Snider

                One of the readings for this week dove into a topic that has ballooned into the mainstream culture more and more every year. As the article by Fortunato noted, over 30 million people participate in fantasy football every year. The question raised within the study was whether or not the practice of fantasy football contributed to higher TV ratings for any of the football games. The results of the study concluded that there was some correlation between the more highly rated football games and the amount of fantasy players that a majority of those people playing fantasy football had started in their lineups.

                To me, it seems as though the study was a little unnecessary to conduct due to the common sense nature of the whole thing. Fortunato went into detail noting the teams with higher winning percentages often drew higher tv ratings as well. Both of these facts seem to make sense without any research being conducted. If someone were to be a casual football fan would you rather watch two undefeated teams square off or would you rather watch two teams sitting at the bottom of their divisions? It seems to me as though the easy and predictable answer would be to watch and see what team is dealt their first loss.

                In addition to that concept, many teams that are successful in the NFL have a roster full of talented athletes. Talented NFL players often put up good stat lines during their respective games which then translate into a healthy fantasy football point accumulation. Then, in turn, this leads to those players becoming good fantasy players who will be owned and started in more and more fantasy leagues. Therefore it would make sense that good teams with high winning percentages or impressive records boast a roster that is made of a variety of fantasy football stars as well.

                Another topic that was hinted at the article was the motivation for playing fantasy football as well as watching the NFL. Speaking from personal experience I see fantasy football as another way sports fans can interact with football besides just watching it every Sunday or Monday (and now Thursday). It even allows a sports fan who might not be the biggest football fan an added incentive to watch the games on tv.

                

Week 10

Troy Maychuk

Sports Journalism

Black Press East-West Classic by Carroll

Fantasy Football and TV Ratings by Fortunato

Week 10

Fantasy Football is an enormous industry and institution in the United States. Over 30 million people participate in Fantasy Football at some level annually. I have played a few times but have friends that revolve their life around picking players with the best stats and putting them head to head in fantasy combination teams. Through instrumental and ritualized media implicating, Fantasy Football garnered media attention and skyrocketed in popularity throughout the past decade. The NFL has Fantasy Football to thank for a noticeable increase in viewers, spreading the brand like absolute wildfire. I personally know so many people who participate in Fantasy Football, it is without a doubt an American institution and media storm giant!

I can’t even imagine being a black athlete during this point in history, day after day you bust your ass to prove yourself and are disrespected and ignored simply because of your skin color. National press payed no attention to the Negro Leagues although some some publications such as the Courier played an enormous role in the desegregation of athletics. One of the most famous black athletes in baseball history, Jackie Robinson openly admits how crucial a role that Wendell Smith of the Courier played in publicizing his signing with the Dodgers which headlined all black press week after week. Even the rest if America took notice although it ignored the historical significance of a black athlete emerging into a white- dominated sports world. It blows my mind how blatantly resistant people can be to any type of change, ignorance smothers so much of our history but thanks to solid journalism the truth can be broadcasted and obtained by the masses.

The East-West Classic game reinstituted the Negro League after its demise in 1931, solidifying it’s place in American athletics. Although the East-West Classic was largely meant to bolster black pride and reignite the Negro League, mainstream media and MLB took notice as well, shining a positive light on black athletes and furthering social integration. Baseball played an enormous role in our nation’s history to help expose the implications of racial inequality and establish a common ground between different social groups. Without the positive support of black newspapers the East-West Classic would have likely never made it off of the ground.

Week 10 Fortunato and Carroll

Fortunato’s article discusses the effects that fantasy sports can have on fans and the actual game. An estimated 30 million people participate in fantasy football and Fortunato argues that those people are more inclined to watch a football game to see how the players on their fantasy teams do. Obviously, if more fans watch the game that is good for the sport because it draws more money. Academic research and information studying fantasy sports are all still developing. In this article, the study showed that for games on NBC there was a strong correlation between the ratings and a game in which 90% of the players were owned in fantasy football. Teams with a high winning percentage probably will have more players owned in fantasy than teams with a low winning percentage. The teams that are winning are probably more likely to draw higher ratings. In America where fantasy football and the sport in general is so popular I can understand that it might influence people to watch more games if their players are playing. Personally, if I can, I like to watch the players on my fantasy hockey team because it gives me a rooting interest if I do not particularly care for the two teams playing. For more casual sports fans who get into fantasy sports for fun, it might have the same effect. Because they are playing a game, it gives them more interest on the outcome of a game they otherwise might not care about.

Carroll’s article documents the media coverage of the East-West Classic, black baseball’s response to the All-Star game in Major League baseball. Because the mainstream media often ignored the Negro Leagues and African American baseball players early on, the black media covered these events with high interest. Eventually the mainstream press finally gave attention to this league and sport, as the sixth East-West Classic “pointed to the inevitability of integration.” The big crowds at the Classic and at Negro league games proved their credibility. In 1955, after years of decreased attendance at the Classics the league could not put together another one. But it was said that they proved race has nothing to do with one’s ability to play baseball and it “served its purpose.”

Week 10 - Black Press East-West Classic by Carroll and Fantasy Football & TV Ratings by Fortunato

Casey Yoos

Sports Journalism Blog

Week 10 - Black Press East-West Classic by Carroll and Fantasy Football & TV Ratings by Fortunato

            The press often ignored the Negro Leagues therefore black newspapers were key to integration of professional baseball and great writers are part of the success of integration in baseball. In the 1940’s the Courier was the largest black newspaper. Wendell Smith of the Courier was key to Jackie Robinson’s career in professional baseball. Journalist Chris Lamb found that the white press only reported on Jackie Robinson signing with the Dodgers rather then the significance and historical aspect of a black baseball player playing in the professional league. However on the newspapers of the black press, they portrayed Jackie Robinson’s story on the front pages and in the sports sections for weeks.

            Larry Lester did a study on the East-West Classic game and the role the press had in making the all-star game possible. After the demise of the Negro League in 1931, in January of 1933 black newspapers took a firm position supporting black baseball. The East-West Classic was a huge event supporting black pride and many people from around the countries planned their vacations off of this game. Roy Sparrow of the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph and William Nunn of the Courier worked to make the event possible. They sent out press releases to 55 black weeklies, which gave the event national coverage.

The East-West Classic attracted a large part of the black community, white press and even major league baseball. The black newspapers financial investment in the game made it easier for them to be objective reporters. The game attracted positive attention to black baseball. The 1937 game was a major success and mainstream media encouraged what the black newspapers were doing and used their arguments to support social integration. The success of the East-West Classic was due to the support from the black newspapers.

Nearly 30 million people participate in Fantasy Football. Those who participate in fantasy football create teams and use the statistics of actual players in real games to compete against others and their teams. Fantasy Football has increased the views of NFL games on television. There are two media-use orientations; they are ritualized media use and instrumental media use. Fantasy football has contributed to the increase in ratings for the NFL.

             

Week #9: Wiggins and Lamb

Matt Snider

In the readings for the week, one of the most historic events in sports history (the desegregation of baseball) is discussed. More specifically, the articles covered the story of the first black athlete, Jackie Robinson, to cross the color line and play professionally.

There were a few points raised by the articles that I thought were particularly interesting. To start with, in the Lamb article, he talks about how the black writers that were helping Jackie took a rather subjective view to the whole issue as opposed to the traditional objective view when covering a story in Journalism. I found it interesting as we, as journalists, are often asked to take as objective of a stance as we can to not let any of our bias come through in our writing. This wasn’t the case with Wendell Smith and the others following Jackie Robinson at the time, but was it necessarily wrong?

In this situation, with mainstream/white media downplaying such an obviously pivotal role in sports and American history, I feel as though a little objectivity is warranted to truly convey the monumental nature of the occasion. By being objective it allows the writer to truly put his emotions and feelings into the piece and criticize the wrongful acts perpetrated against black athletes and media at the time.

This leads into the biggest and most noted point in the Lamb article which was the white mainstream media downplaying all of the significant events that happened during this time period.  As Lamb described it in his article, most newspapers wrote stories that adhered to their readers’ views of either  not condoning the integration of black athletes in baseball, completely ignoring the issue altogether or feeling as though bringing up the race issue will only lead to “no good”.  Not only is this blight against the readers but for all future generations who want the information recorded accurately. The treating of a black ballplayer during the time as just another news story makes those reading it feel as though what is happening isn’t important, or that it will never amount to anything.

In addition to the Lamb article, the Wiggins article brought up a very interesting point about the time period in which the desegregation of baseball was taking place. In particular, about how one writer, Wendell Smith likened the segregation and exclusion of black athletes from playing in the majors was similar to the treatment of Jews in Europe.  In contrast though, many people of the black community felt as though they should have some segregation so that the black baseball leagues at the time could continue to provide a place for ballplayers to play, as well as rival the playing ability of the major leagues. Although Smith often reassured those that the desegregation of the majors would do nothing but improve “black baseball”, in reality, it would lead to the inevitable termination of those baseball leagues.  

Week 9

Troy Maychuk

Sports Journalism Blog

Week 9

Branch Rickey stood as the cusp of change for African American athletes in the early 1900s. Jackie Robinson stood as a shining example of the future, a black man set to emerge into the major leagues who with the help of Wendell Smith’s recommendation made this dream a reality, blowing open the doors which had been locked for so long- a new era of athletics in America. Smith edited the sports section for the Pittsburg Courier- Journal, a controversial publication because of its open support of black people, especially within the realm of emerging black athletes. Jackie Robinson said within his autobiography that he ‘’would be forever indebted to Wendell Smith” for his support. Smith experienced racial segregation first hand and heavily sympathized with civil rights and the black condition, sparking endless controversy for both his own career and The Pittsburg Courier-Journal. Equality is what these men stood for, and despite open opposition from the public and other publications they did not waver in their stance. Wiggin’s article paints a vivid picture of the plight of turn of the century athletes that often gets washed under the bridge.

Something I found progressive and daring was how Wendell compared his fellow American’s segregation and mistreatment of blacks to the way that Hitler treated Jewish populations. It seems so obvious to us how wrong people were now in 2013 but guys like Smith were of a very small minority of enlightened thinkers. Baseball really played a critical role in desegregation in our country. In Lambs article this becomes perfectly obvious. Baseball served as a ‘test model’ for racial integration- first the game and then real life. Sports that integrated black athletes like baseball helped to show Americans that integration was not only possible but ideal. Lamb identified just how apprehensive many reporters were to interview black athletes, tensions were high and drama very frequent. Although one can argue after reading these two articles that racial integration in sports got off to a bit of a rough start, but without brave activists like Wendell Smith and bold athletes like Jackie Robinson, the face of today’s sports would certainly bear shocking differences. Black athletes undoubtedly helped the course of civil rights and equality, inspiring generations of young athletes and thinkers alike.

Week 9: Wiggins, Lamb+Bleske

In the Wiggins article, the persistence (since 1933) of Pittsburgh’s Courier-Journal for the inclusion of black athletes in Major League Baseball is discussed. It credits this specific paper for playing a large role in the desegregation of the sport. Despite there being many black newspapers throughout the country, the Courier-Journal had the biggest circulation in the country and therefore the greatest influence in breaking down the barrier. With the support and dedication from men like Wendell Smith, an African-American sports editor for the Courier-Journal who pushed for including black baseball players in the majors (particularly Jackie Robinson), the barrier was broken. Baseball served as a symbol for American life in general and Smith believed that desegregation in the sport would give people a sense of dignity and inspiration. I have never actually thought about the media’s role in the desegregation of sports so I thought this was interesting and I’m glad I learned about the impact newspapers had.

            In the Bleske and Lamb article, two perspectives about the first integrated spring training game are given: one from a black newspaper advocating the change and from a white newspaper that feared it. The article explains that the black press viewed integration as a transition of society and wrote about the era with more sociological understanding.White or “mainstream” press did not report on integration with the same passion and deserved ferocity. The news affected the two differently. The reports out of the black press on the Jackie Robinson signing was like a “bombshell”, according to this article because it was personal to the writers and readers of those publications. The white press feared integration because they believed it would lead to increased violence but also it would mean more diversity among sports journalists. While the white press reported on the era they did not do it with the same emotion as the black press did.

Week 9: Wiggins and Lamb

                Lamb’s article, Democracy on the Field, discussed the segregation of baseball in 1945, when Jackie Robinson was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers’ minor league club in Montreal. The article focuses on the beginning, Robinson’s first spring training with the team, and how this monstrous event was covered by black sportswriters, and how it was covered by white sportswriters, and how their views differed.

                Not surprisingly, black sportswriters saw this event as an enormous victory in the battle for segregation. They viewed Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball as a metaphor for all blacks breaking the barrier of segregation in America. Black sportswriters across the country recognized the historical significance of the desegregation of baseball, and reported on it as such.

                It was a little different for white sportswriters, most of whom pretty much ignored the event all together. They still believed that segregation was necessary, and refused to even acknowledge the fact that a black player was going to play professional baseball. In the article, Lamb talks about an event where a bunch of sportswriters from New York had a dinner, and a skit was acted out painting Jackie Robinson in a bad light. This was just one was that white sportswriters denounced the desegregation of baseball.

                The second article, written by David Wiggins, discusses the role that Wendell Smith and the Pittsburgh Courier-Journal had on the desegregation of baseball. While there were other black newspapers at the time, the Courier-Journal was the most read, and the most influential on getting baseball to allow black players. Jackie Robinson has even gone on record to say that Wendell Smith, a writer for the Courier-Journal, was the main reason he was signed by Branch Rickey and the Dodgers organization in 1945,

                In 1933, the Courier-Journal began their battle towards desegregation in baseball, but it wasn’t until the employed Wendell Smith that the fight really took off. Smith took a strong stance, even going as far as to tell blacks to stop attending baseball games. He said why should they be spending their hard earned money to watch a game that their own people aren't allowed to be included in? Smith also was instrumental in the formation of the NAACP. While blacks as individuals weren't going anywhere, by forming a group, they would be able to fight harder for what they believed in. It is amazing to see that one man and one newspaper could be so influential in changing the game of baseball. 

Week 9: Wiggins - Blacks in Organized Baseball & Lamb - Democracy on the Field

Casey Yoos

Sports Journalism Blog

Week 9: Wiggins - Blacks in Organized Baseball & Lamb - Democracy on the Field

In Wiggins article, he wrote that Jackie Robinson wrote in his autobiography that he feels that he “would be forever indebted to Wendell Smith”.  Wendell Smith recommended Robinson to Branch Rickey, a man who stood to break the color barrier in baseball. Wendell Smith told Rickey that, “Robinson was one black player who had major league potential”. Wendell Smith was a sports editor for the Pittsburgh Courier-Journal. The Pittsburgh Courier-Journal was the largest radical Black newspaper. This newspaper fought again the exclusion of black players in baseball for nearly twelve years. When Robinson signed his contract for the Dodgers, the Pittsburgh Courier-Journal put out nearly 100,000 newspapers then their competitors because it called for equality in baseball.

Wendell Smith was such an advocate for equality in baseball because he had faced discrimination himself. When he was on road trips he experienced first hand segregated living accommodations. The Pittsburgh Courier-Journal was more conservative on the issue before he was hired and he wrote columns describing similarities between discrimination against black players to the way Nazi’s treated minorities to get white Americans to stop discriminating on black athletes. Wendell Smith had a lasting impact on equality for black players and the efforts to persuade people through the Pittsburgh Courier-Journal.

In Lamb’s article, he writes that Jackie was the first black player to play baseball in the twentieth century. Baseball was one of the first sports’ organizations to become desegregated. However many people feared integration because they felt that it could lead to violence and leave people hurt or even dead. The first spring training sessions of the integrated baseball teams proved to be nothing but drama and many black that on the lack of coverage or how the integrated and segregated sports were covered by both black and white journalists. White journalists often refused to cover the integrated sport because they feared they would lose their newspapers and audience. However black reporters shared their stories and inspired others of the same race to follow their hopes and dreams. 

Women in Sports Journalism

Troy Maychuk
Sports Journalism and Society
10-10-13
                                                        This is a man's world? 
        Even today in the year 2013 the idea of a female sports writer seems cliche to a lot of people. In fact, women make up a very low population of workers in the Sports Media industry. In a study done out of fifty major newspapers only eleven percent are female. I honestly never really took the time to think about this idea much before we discussed it in class. I was startled to find such a huge imbalance!
         Joanne Gerstner, president of the Association for Women in Sports Media wrote,
"You look different, you are different, and you might not fit into the paradigm of how that editor feels his paper should look. I've had members tell me stories of applying for editors or columnists, only to be told that the paper wasn't 'ready' to have a woman in that position". The open discourse shown towards women in the Sports Media industry is astounding, the fact that male counterparts feel threatened by powerful and intelligent women is so childish- if anything at all men should see this as an opportunity to  step their game up. It seems to me that a small number of women are tolerated in this industry, but without a doubt not integrated well. Women have to deal with being sexually harassed all the while being stifled from really excelling in the workplace. 
       Many women leave the industry due to the frustrations of not being able to grow because of their job ceiling. Why sacrifice time from your friends and family if you aren't properly respected? 
A much greater focus must be placed on retention of female employees if anything is expected to change. 

Week 7: Female Sports Journalists

Hardin and Shain’s article on female sports journalists focuses on whether they have the acceptance of their peers and their viewership. Without this acceptance and a positive working environment, some women are questioning if the job is worth the sacrifices they have made in their personal lives. A survey cited in the article says that just 11 percent of the employees in a sports department are women. The article also says that the average career in sports journalism for women is 10 years, and that almost none reach management positions. In the big picture, 10 years is a very limited amount of time in which women see their sports media careers fizzle out. Especially considering many years could be spent in lower level positions working the way up the ladder.

A major problem the article addresses is the sexual harassment women face when working in sports media. There’s a dangerous understanding shown in a 1995 survey that female journalists should “expect” to be harassed on the job, which is truly disgusting. However, I know there are women who still accept this behavior today because they do not want to risk their careers which I understand. In a lot of ways, I think the success and longevity of a woman’s career in sports media is based on her appearance just as much as her knowledge and understanding of sports. Mostly in broadcasting, I notice that oftentimes there is the token woman who is on the panel or doing colorful reporting from the sidelines who is just there to look good for all the men watching and to fill a quota.

Considering the first female reporter entered a male-athletic locker room just over 35 years ago, it’s not surprising that women still can face problems, although I imagine it still happens more often than is reported. Just last season in the NHL, Hockey Night in Canada  host, Don Cherry said on air that women should not be allowed in the locker rooms because, I guess Cherry still thinks it is 1970s. This comment was in response to an incident that occurred in the Chicago Blackhawks post game interviews when a female reporter asked defenseman Duncan Keith a question he did not particularly like and made some comments to her that were seen as sexist. This shows that there are still hard headed idiots out there who have little respect for what women in sports journalism try to do, despite it already being very difficult to even get to the point in their careers when they’re granted locker room access.

In addition to the sexual harassment threats, lack of respect, and glass ceiling keeping women from moving up, it’s more the sacrifices that beat writers, especially make to do their jobs. It’s the family and life sacrifices that cause women to think about leaving the business.

Week #7: Female Sports Journalists

Matt Snider

                The reading this week concerned the presence of females within the journalism industry. The article itself hit on many of the similar subjects that we already had discussed in class. Most notably of these subjects was the discrimination that many female sports writers face in a male dominated industry.

                The discrimination of females in the sports field is something that is on display on a daily basis for anyone that follows sports or watches any sports program on TV. Take Fox Sports’ new flagship show, Fox Sports Live. The show, well anchored by Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, features a panel of sports “experts” that recap and analyze all the sporting events of the day. Yet, out of the ten or so people that are present the show, only one is female and her role is often nothing more than to moderate the sports debate of the other male stars. It becomes a rarity if she is able to articulate her opinion about a subject using anything more than a quick one-liner because she is simply not given the time to weigh in. A more obvious case can be made for any pre-game show featured on any network.

Yet, what I found so interesting is that upon the results of the survey that was conducted in the article, many females felt as though the harassment they suffered wasn't the reason for not getting involved in an industry. Many women felt that while the objectification and sexism were obviously wrong, the main point for the loss of interest had to choose between the career and their families. As the article points out, many women are not offered management type positions in the sports field. Knowing that fact, women are forced to choose between the  job with obviously demanding hours, limited family life, and little chance for a promotion over a career in a different field. Not only does this field then come with the obvious gender bias, but women will then have to subject themselves to that for many years to come. It makes it seem as though women are allowed to be sports writers, but to do so they have to give up so much more than men do.

All these problems aside, the article brought up the interesting point about there being a lack of mentoring for the female writers due to the lack of females in management positions. This, I feel, is simply an inevitable cycle for steering women away from the industry. Who better to teach someone the ins and outs of the job as well as how to handle things than someone that was in your very same shoes? And as we all know already, there are many more problems and scenarios that rise up when being a woman in the male dominated industry of sports reporting.