COMM412:

Lesson 4 Overview

 

Introduction

Welcome to Lesson 4 for COMM 412: Sports, Media, and Society. We’ve laid a foundation for the course by considering definitions of sport and theories about the interplay between (spectator) sport and society. I hope you agree that we’ve established that there is a significant relationship between our cultural ideologies and the way we construct and consume sports.

For the rest of the semester, we’ll be looking at a variety of issues from this foundation. This week, we’re going to consider the role of amateurism (in contrast to professionalism) in elite sport.

Amateurism is a powerful idea/ideal in sport, influencing the ways people pursue sport and think about it.

We’ll consider the virtues we might attach to amateurism—and how those virtues might serve the industries that produce sports spectacles for fans and spectators.

Objectives

Here are the objectives for this lesson:

• Examine the concept of amateurism and its relationship to the ideals of sport.
• Discuss whether the amateur ideal is still relevant in sport.

Lesson Readings and Activities

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Lesson 4 Course Schedule.

 

For the Love of the Game

Have you ever heard an athlete praised for competing not for money or fame, but for “the love of the game”?

For many fans, the idea that an athlete competes for no reward greater than the competition itself—even though there likely are many extrinsic benefits—is the ultimate compliment.

Last lesson, we discussed some of our favorite sports movies, and many of those are in part built around this ideal. Think about Rudy, Remember the Titans, and other famous sports movies (with the notable exception to glorifying amateurism being Chariots of Fire). Many of these films focus not on professionals but instead on amateurs—athletes who aren’t going to cash a check after they compete, no matter the outcome.

Amateurism

Scholars argue that, to one degree or another, amateurism has been idealized in competitive sport. As your readings (especially the one by Eitzen) will point out, the ideas of honor and fair play are more readily attached to the amateurism. Amateurism and the belief in its moral sensibilities have also been prime drivers of the rationale for including athletics in higher education in the United States.

Although some might argue that the amateur ideal is no longer relevant in an age where money seems to be a driving force behind spectator sports, it is still seen as important by some scholars and commentators—and it may be important to many fans. New York Times columnist David Brooks, for instance, wrote in 2011 that the amateur ideal promotes a “value system” that counteracts “commercial interests.” He added, “The lingering vestiges of the amateur ideal are worth preserving.” (Brooks, 2011). 

But, does amateurism in elite sport in the United States even exist? Or has amateurism merely become a façade for commercial interests in sport? (Think about the controversy around the NCAA, one of the most prominent “amateur” sports organizations in the world.)

We’ll explore the amateur ideal and the role it plays in this unit through readings and through considering the ways amateur sports operate and the way the athletes are depicted in the media.

 

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References

Brooks, D. (2011, September 22). The Amateur Ideal. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/opinion/the-amateur-ideal.html?_r=0

Terms and Questions

As you read and participate in the online activities, do so with the following goals in mind:

Key Terms to Define

• Amateurism
• Amateur ideal

Key Questions to Consider

• What is the relationship (currently and historically) between amateurism and the ideals of sport?
• What role does amateurism play in sport today and in the ways sport is represented in media depictions?

 

What Can Pro Sports Learn From the College Model?

Amateur sports can be idealized as having qualities that are more beneficial to society than those of professional sports. The NCAA has been an example of elite-level amateur sports in the United States, and we’ll discuss that in another lesson – so do not focus on the NCAA for this exercise, which is designed to have us focus in general terms on amateur sport. Instead, we’ll use the Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA ) in Ireland as an example of a league that is held up as an example of amateur virtue.

Read about the Gaelic Athletic Association.

 

Watch the short BBC video below.

 

Consider these questions for our discussion.

• What are the virtues of amateurism?
• Does it really contain qualities that are lost in professional sports? 

Olympic Gold—Still an Amateur

Missy Franklin gained worldwide fame in 2012 with her stellar performance in the pool during the Olympic Games in London. She also announced—in contrast with other athletes—that she planned to retain her amateur status. This was well before college athletes were allowed to profit from NIL (Name, Image, Likeness). Franklin’s announcement influenced the media coverage around her. Look at this example of the media coverage provided:

• "Missy Franklin Wants to Swim in College, Put Off Endorsement Fortunes" from ABC News.

Case Study: Amateurism and College Sports

Let's look at the thorny issue of amateurism in college athletics. (We will focus more on the NCAA in a later unit.) As you know, college athletes are deemed amateurs by the NCAA, but now these amateurs can receive money/payment for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). Start your consideration of amateurism by reading “The Difference Between Unpaid and Paid Student Athletes? Not Much, It Turns Out” by Joe Nocera and “No need for NCAA in new world of college sports” by Tim Dahlberg.

Then, you will address the following questions in our discussion:

• Are college athletes still amateurs?
• Have college sports changed—and, if so, how—now that NIL is permitted and athletes can make money?
• The NCAA and university presidents argued for decades college sports fans would lose interest if athletes were paid and were not true “amateurs.” Are college sports less popular with NIL?

• What should be the NCAA’s role or purpose in this new era for college sport

 

Lesson 4 Wrap Up

 

Summary

We began to look at the issues of amateurism, in contrast to professionalism in elit sport, discussing the powerful idea/ideal of amateurism in sport. You discussed whether the amateur ideal is still relevant in sport.

Check and Double Check

By the end of this lesson, be sure you have completed the readings and activities listed in the Lesson 4 course schedule.

Looking Ahead

In Lesson 5, we will examaine the history of mediated sports, beginning with the early history, starting with early sports magazines and the beginnings of television.