100 articles – ‘Why is sports journalism an oxymoron?’
Sports journalism has often been lampooned as the ‘toy department’, a distinct entity from ‘real journalism’. As Evan Harding explains, E.W Mason went one step further when he labelled sports journalism as an oxymoron.
In one of the 100 articles that all journalists should read, E.W Mason labels sports journalism an oxymoron. Evan Harding explains.
‘Why is sports journalism an oxymoron?’ by E.W Mason
It was legendary sports journalist Howard Cosell who said, ‘Sports is the toy department of human life’. It would be hard, however, to imagine he would have been pleased with how those words were twisted into a widespread disdain for the practice of sports journalism.
In 2000, communications lecturer Edgar Mason presented this paper to the Journalism Education Association of New Zealand Annual Conference, discussing the differences between sports journalism and ‘real journalism’.
While I cannot agree that sports journalism is an oxymoron, I still believe this is a must-read for those coming down on either side of the argument. Mason presents a thorough examination of the unique environment in which sports reporting resides, backing up his argument with sound logic and solid examples.
Any article defending the legitimacy of sports journalism must surely start with a counter to the points raised here.
Evan Harding is a Master of Global Communications student at La Trobe University.
Tags: 100 articles, Evan Harding, Master of Global Communications, sport journalism, sports journalism, the working journalist
2 Comments
Sports Journalism is of equal importance with other forms of media. It might be of less value to some nerds, but sports is what gives life to the boredom of life. (plus problems and lovelife
)
Articles in Sports about How to Relate.
Sport is given far too much prominence in the media. If Religion was the Opiate of the masses in the 19th Century as stated by Karl Marx, Sport has assumed that role in the 21st Century in spades.
Generally professional sportspersons are one dimensional, overpaid and do not make a significant contribution to humanity despite all the unwarranted hype about them in the media.
Generally “Sports Journalism” is tainted as many journos will be disinclined to report negative facts about their talent for fear of losing their sources.
Sports spectating is for people that have too much time on their hands, who live their lives via the activities of professional sports persons.
Journalists should report on issues that affect real people, ie the person in the street such as industrial issues, human rights issues, over development, the crisis of capitalism and so on.
The real issue about sport that should be talked about in the media is why is it that stacks of taxpayers money is spent on subsidising elite athletes instead of spending funds that enable ordinary citizens to live more fit and healthy lives.
What is more important an overfunded AFL or a fitter general population?
Instead of having an institute of sport that at the most may help hundreds of people, why not have a commission of preventable medicine
whose brief is to reduce the cost of healthy activities so that millions of people partake in them and live healthier lives.
Professional sport is one of the frauds of the capitalist system in which the masses aspire to be elite athletes yet only a tiny handful of them can achieve that objective.
Sport sets people up to fail.
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