May 3
The Positive and Negative Media Effects in Sports
Ever since I was a little boy, I have always played sports. In fact, the only thing I watched on television was football and basketball games. I noticed that the sports casters will say positive things about you if they like you and negative things if they didnt like you. for example, although Kobe Bryant was one of the best basketball players in the world, many people said he had a bad attitude because if his teammates played bad, he would tell them straight up. while Michael Jordan was considered Americas sweetheart where he would encourage his teammates to play better. Media effects are the many ways individuals and society may be influenced by both news and entertainment mass media There are many different types of media effects such as Cognitive-Type effect, Belief-Type effect, Attitudinal-Type effect, Physiological-Type effect, Emotional-Type effect, Behavioral-Type effect, and Macro-Type effects. Social Media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, twitter, etc. Has changed the way sports fans all over the world interact with their favorite sports teams and athletes.
The positive media effects on sports that stand out to me most are that they present positive and inspiring role models, generate revenue, attract investment for sports, and make certain sports more fashionable.
Sports are full of ups and downs, just like life so athletes make great role models for young people like me. Despite the focus on shoes, money and contracts, there are still many athletes in sports making a positive difference in their communities and in the lives of people around the world. A great role model is someone who always sets an example, is optimistic, speaks out and respects everyone. Lebron James is an example of a great positive role model in my opinion. He has a Lebron James foundation that is run by his family that donates to charity and emergency assistance programs in the area. He also created a school called I promise for low-income students.
The NCAA is a billion-dollar company that makes money off student’s athletes profiting from jersey sales, endorsements, and sponsorships while the student athlete does not receive a dime, or they would be banned from the NCAA. This caused many coaches to use social media to bribe players to come to their school because they will receive secret compensation. over the years, this has gotten out of control and the NCAA passed the NIL deal, which stands for Name, Image, and Likeness. This new law allows players to receive endorsements and get paid while in college.
Before social media existed, NBA players showed up to games in Sweatsuits. now that social media is involved and everyone has a camera in their hand. This made many NBA players like James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Lebron James fashion staples. They wear high end designer brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, and iced out chains setting fashion trends for young men to follow all over the world. There is a page on Instagram called league fits that catches players outfits before every game to showcase what the players are wearing off the court. After fans see players wearing these high end fashion designers they go out and buy it for themselves to imitate the players making the athletes and the designers richer but making the fans poorer because average people cannot afford these items.
The negative effects that social media has on sports include intruding on the privacy of athletes, highlighting negative values and behaviors, and undermining athletes’ confidence, and careers.
Being a professional athletes is difficult because players do not have any privacy off the court. There are many instances where athletes social media accounts were hacked and stalked. Fans and media reporters do anything to get into lives of these athletes. For example, a basketball player Micheal Carter Williams of the Orlando Magic posted a photo of himself working out in the gym. Many reporters of the NBA and teamates commented on how big his arms looked compared to when he was in season. As a result, the NBA sent doctors to his house to next day to conducted a drug test for steriods. This shows that players do not have any privacy because why can’t Micheal Carter Williams gain weight without getting drug tested because of a social media post?
Sports players are human beings who have feelings and sometimes they show they feelings and are deemed to be negative role models. For example, Kyrie Irving a basketball player for the Brooklyn nets recently had a playoff series against his former team, the Boston Celtics. Every game fans would throw things at him on the court, yell mean things about him and his family, and disrespecting him in many ways. As a resut, kyrie retalliated by putting up his middle finger at the fans where a cameraman caught him in action and it went virual. He was punished by the NBA by reciving a 50,000 dollar fine. Before social media exsisted, cameras were not clear enough to catch little gestures like this. Also, trash talking is apart of the game but not insults and racial slurs and in sure this happens more often than not.
Sometimes players come into the NBA at a very young age and not able to handle to pressure of playing at such a high level. For instance, Ben Simmons is a former basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers that had his confidence taken away from him because the fans and players blammed him for a playoff game loss. He was supposed to be the star and leader of the team but when he did not take a single shot in the most important playoff game in his life. Many fans turned on him and he shut down and left the team due to mental health reasons.
In conclusion, social media can make or break you.
