The United States of Sport

Media Framing and Influence of the Intersection of Sports and American Culture

Joshua Dickhaus, Kenon A. Brown, Mia Long Anderson, Lawrence A. Wenner, Andrew C. Billings, Marie Hardin, Lawrence A. Wenner, Andrew C. Billings, Marie Hardin

• Publisher: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781433181733, 9781433181740
• eBook ISBN: 9781433181757
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art & Business

Whether it's the Roosevelt administration's impact on the formation of the NCAA, the protest of the Vietnam War by Muhammad Ali, or the rise of rap and hip-hop in the 90s and its penetration of the NBA's image, American culture and politics have intersected regularly with sports. The impact of American politics and culture on the sports industry, and vice versa, is evident throughout the halls of history and, in particular, the 20th and 21st centuries mark an interesting period of time to explore this relationship. One avenue to be considered during this time is the amplification and growth of mass media and its role in framing these intersections of American pop culture, politics and the sports industry. Many of the values that Americans hold dear to their identity, such as activism and protest, capitalism, freedom of expression, and competition, are permeated through the history of collegiate and professional sports in the United States, and the media has played a role in shaping those opinions and values among Americans through its various outlets. The United States of Sport looks at how media outlets portrayed several of these intersections in politics, culture and sports, with each chapter highlighting a moment or phenomenon in American history and its direct or indirect impact on some aspect of the sports industry through the eyes of newspapers, magazines, television, radio and online news outlets.

Table of contents

• Cover
• HalfTitle
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• “Why are you studying sports?” An Introduction into the Role of Sport in American Society
• Section I Early Intersections of Sport and American Culture
• 1 The “Rough Rider” Saves College Football: Football Mortality, Theodore Roosevelt, and the Formation of the NCAA
• 2 The 1958 NFL Championship Game: The Game That Launched the Dominance of “The League”
• 3 The Decision Heard around the World: Media Coverage of Muhammad Ali’s Vietnam Draft Opposition and Title Loss
• Section II Sport and American Sociopolitical Issues
• 4 “Bigger than Football”: Colin Kaepernick, Donald Trump, and the Battle for Redefined Patriotism
• 5 “I am woman, hear me roar”: The Role of Feminist Ideology in the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s Fight for Equal Pay
• 6 It’s Okay to NOT Be Okay: The Importance of Athlete Disclosures about Mental Health Struggles
• 7 A Tale of Two “Sports”: WWE, Major League Baseball and News Coverage of the Steroid Era
• 8 Intersecting Crises: Athlete Activism during the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Section III Sport and American Popular Culture
• 9 Honus Wagner to Broadway Joe to Air Jordan: The Evolution of the Athlete Endorser
• 10 Literally in Vogue: The Trendsetting Influence of Fashionable Athletes Outside the Lines
• 11 Kobe Bryant: Building a Legacy from the Hardwood to Hollywood
• 12 John Madden: The Coach, the Broadcaster, and Namesake of the Most Successful Video Game Franchise Ever
• 13 Worlds Collide: The Legacies of Iverson, Jay-Z, and the Bond between Hip-Hop and the NBA
• 14 From Overlooked to a Super Genre: The Sports Film’s Dominant Impact on American Culture
• About the Authors