How Did The Media Impact The Business Of Mass Spectator Sports

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American sports are an enormous industry that has become world-renowned, but the globalization and rapid growth of these sports could not have been accomplished without the developments in the business of mass spectator sports. For example, American sports such as football and baseball built large stadiums that would last for decades and set the standards for the appropriate shape and materials that are necessary to occupy a large audience. Also, the incorporation of the media into American sports had a tremendous impact by utilizing methods such as narratives to grab the attention of more Americans who might not have been as interested in these sports. Following this development, war surged throughout the world. As a result, team sports like …show more content…

In addition, sports have heavily assimilated into American culture as both entertainment and education as they teach teamwork, resilience, and strength. Looking back at the twentieth century, there were five developments that greatly impacted the business of mass spectator sports. First, the reconstruction and building of new stadiums in the early twentieth century helped provide more seating for fans and established sports such as baseball and college football as two of the more dominant sports in America. Next, the incorporation of media into sports had a tremendous impact on pulling in new audiences. They did so by utilizing narratives as seen in boxing and the White Sox scandal in 1919 which appealed to new audiences that would not have originally been interested in sports. After this development, World War 1 and 2 shook the United States. In response, the militarization of sports was utilized to establish sport into American culture and use this industry as a source of patriotism. During times of war, desegregation in the military occurred. This was also seen in baseball as Robinson would pave the way for integration in American sports. As a result, more diverse audiences would attend the games to watch minority athletes in a white dominated society. Then, the television was implemented into American sport which helped professional football rise to the top and still benefitted sports that took a more conservative approach. Finally, with the spike in revenue, players began to complain about unfair circumstances which led to free agency. Increasing opportunities for players and franchises to increase marketing led to more