television, sports and mass culture the role of television in american sports after 1946
TRANSCRIPT
Television, Sports and Mass Culture
The Role of Television in American Sports After 1946
I. Televised Sports: Origins
TV changes the nature of sports
Love affair between TV and boxing
The love affair enters a “rocky” period
A very quiet Friday night Some boxing fans happy with
the end of fight night TV and sports—good, bad, or
both?
I. Televised Sports: Origins (cont.)
Sports on TV—an early novelty
--Columbia vs. Princeton (May 17, 1939)
Television industry takes off after World War II
Initial programming obstacles
Sports or Entertainment?
II. Wrestling on Television
History of wrestling During WWII, a new form of
professional wrestling emerged-- “Gorgeous” George
Lovers of “true” sports attacked George’s behavior
Ex-boxers and women turned to wrestling for a living
Women were avid viewers TV adds to “carnival”
atmosphere of wrestling
III. Roller Derby on Television
Origins of Roller Derby ABC introduces
televised roller derby in 1949
Similarities between pro wrestling and roller derby
Violent fans and swearing, punching women
IV. Boxing on Television
Boxing forges the strongest ties with TV in the 40’s and 50’s
Everyone connected with the partnership is at first pleased with the results
--Gillette Safety Razor Company and the “Friday Night Fights”
New standards for judging a “good” fight
IV. Boxing on Television (cont.)
Hurricane Jackson: the new style TV boxer
Popularity of white, well-rounded boxers
--Roland LaStarza and Chuck Davey
Television changes boxing
IV. Boxing on Television (cont.)
Television destroys the club system
Big fight arenas face reduced live gate revenues--Madison Square Garden
By late 1950’s, the romance between TV and boxing was stale
V. Basketball on Television
Television set sales jumped tremendously in 1948
Sports an important part of 1948 TV programming
Basketball dominates programming in the winter of 1948
Problems with TV coverage of basketball
VI. Baseball on Television
Technological problems Owners sign their own
TV deals to the detriment of competitive balance
Televised games take their toll at the gates
Decline for minor league teams a real problem
VII. Professional Football on TV
TV really contributes to the growth and popularity of pro football
Owners negotiated a single package with revenue sharing
Pro football looked good on early TV
1958 championship game By 1960, TV was firmly a part
of the sporting scene for better and for worse
VIII. The “Roone Revolution”
Real revolution in sports television in the 60’s and 70’s
Roone Arledge and Richard Nixon
Arledge’s background A bold new plan for
covering football games Near-perfect program
judgement
VIII. The “Roone Revolution” (cont)
First task: improve televised college football
Goal: attract the casual viewer
Lots of shots of beautiful women
Bringing the sounds of football to TV viewers
Introduces instant replay
IX. “Wide World of Sports”
Arledge’s approach successful from the beginning
Aggressive pursuit of the rights for major sports events
Keys to success for “Wide World of Sports”
Criticism of the show
IX. “Wide World of Sports”
The use of creative editing Securing the rights to
Acapulco cliff divers The appearances of “Evel”
Knievel Wide World of Sports
produced a number of spinoffs
-- “The American Sportsman”
-- “The Superstars”
X. Monday Night Football
Encouragement from Pete Rozelle
More and better technology
Selecting a team of announcers
--Keith Jackson Don Meredith: country
charm and humor
X. Monday Night Football (cont.)
Howard Cosell—the man people loved to hate
Reactions to the show were predictably strong
Team of announcers altered for the second season
--Frank Gifford
XI. The Olympics on Television
Arledge changed the way that Americans saw the Olympic Games
Host cities promised publicity and exposure
Heroic technology and extended coverage
An opportunity to promote their own television shows
XII. The Battle over Control of Television Sports
By the mid-70’s, Arledge was one of the top executives in the industry
-- “Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell”
Battle over the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games
Sports TV becomes a sellers market
--Sugar Ray Leonard
XIII. The Era of “Trash Sports”
Origins of ABC’s “The Superstars” (1973)--Red Auerbach protests the NBA’s betrayal
“Trash Sports” shows multiply
“Battle of the Network Stars”
Era of “trash sports” ended in the early 80’s
XIX. The “Golden Age” of Television Sports Ending?
Competition from local “superstations” and cable channels in the 80’s
--WTBS and ESPN Traditional sports
sponsors began moving their advertising dollars into other areas
XIX. The “Golden Age” of TV Sports Ending? (cont.)
TV networks caught between rising costs for rights and falling advertising dollars
Capital City takes over ABC in 1985
Rising costs for rights in the 90’s and sports dependence on television revenue
XIX. The “Golden Age” of TV Sports Ending? (cont.)
For the most part, televised sport takes place outside of prime time
Special events still work for prime time
NBC’s commitment to the Olympics in the 90’s
Appetite for TV sports still seems to be high
The success of the 1996 Atlanta Games on TV
XX. How Has Television Changed the Game Itself?
Has TV influenced the way a game is played?
Instant Replay The “TV time out” Starting times for games Schedule of Olympic events Winter Olympics bumped to
another year starting in 1994 1988 Calgary games moved North American settings