Sport communication careers
[1] This field encompasses the study of interpersonal and organizational communication (both verbal and non-verbal) among participants within a sport (players, coaches, managers, referees, and trainers), fans, and the media.
[3] The communication offices of sports organizations have become more professionalized, allowing them to interact with their target audiences without needing traditional media.
[11] Coaches also play an integral role, and how they interact with their players greatly determines the athletes' responsiveness, motivation, and ability to learn.
For example, research suggests that positive instructional and structured coaching techniques that lead to more autocratic allowance by the end of a season can be highly effective in athlete development.
Professionals in sport communication craft and alter their work depending on the tone and what their audience needs or desires.
Photojournalists face challenges in the industry too, since they must negotiate selective access to sporting events, and must be well-versed in commercial licensing and image rights.
[19] Although positions vary in both nature (e.g., management, publicity, writing) and scope (e.g., traditional print, television, radio, online), the various career paths in the field all hinge on the ability to communicate with key audiences.
[21] Some of the best opportunities in sport communication involve behind-the-scenes occupations, many of which exist in the production and operations sides of the industry.
Examples include equipment technician, audio engineer, sport videographer, graphic designer, and technical writer.
Some sport arena and stadium jobs can be electronic technician, master control operator, public address announcer, and video engineer.
[24] Social media communications have been statistically proven to have a significant effect on sports involvement and online community engagement.
Sports writer Lars Anderson wrote in his book The Storm and The Tide about how local athletes at the University of Alabama helped unite a town after a disastrous tornado.
Another example is the recent "deflategate" scandal involving the New England Patriots allegedly deflating the footballs during half-time of the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Head coach Bill Belichick claims that any wrongdoing was done by the team's equipment manager and ball boy, and no communication had occurred between them at any point in the game.
The media coverage led to a widespread and highly publicized scandal that could have jeopardized the Patriots' participation in the Super Bowl.
[32] Connections sports communication also focuses on interpersonal relationships between coaches, players, referees, athletic trainers, and other people who work for the team.
