An analysis of how messages about big-time college football reinforce power Yanity, Molly View Available File(s) Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1365178005 Year and Degree 2013, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Mass Communication (Communication). Abstract College athletic departments are expanding a trend of hiring professional journalists to improve their content and grow their audiences. This positioning of the professional journalist in the arena he used to cover creates unique dynamics for the professional journalist, for the department, and for the audience. This dissertation adds to the literature by identifying the dynamics, roles, and routines of an athletic department communication worker at a major athletic conference university. It examines how those dynamics, roles, and routines influence content for the department's website and how this content upholds the athletic department's position of political and economic power in its geographical region and sustains the cultural hegemony of college football. I employed a month-long observation prior to and at the start of the 2012 University of Washington Huskies football season. A mixed-methods approach generated ample empirical data as collection procedures included participant observation, unstructured interviews, and document review. The results of this dissertation find the athletic department communication worker negotiating three roles: The roles of "Traditional Journalist" of "PR Practitioner" and of "Subordinate." This structure ultimately is utilized to exploit college football players, to place material interests ahead of human interests, and to maintain and strengthen the cultural hegemony of big-time college football. Committee Aimee Edmondson, Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Courtney Cole, Ph.D. (Committee Member) B. David Ridpath, Ed.D. (Committee Member) Michael Sweeney, Ph.D. (Committee Member) Pages 149 p. Subject Headings Communication; Journalism Keywords sports journalism; sports media; sports public relations; college football
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Yanity, Molly
View Available File(s)
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1365178005
Year and Degree
2013, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Mass Communication (Communication).
Abstract
College athletic departments are expanding a trend of hiring professional journalists to improve their content and grow their audiences. This positioning of the professional journalist in the arena he used to cover creates unique dynamics for the professional journalist, for the department, and for the audience. This dissertation adds to the literature by identifying the dynamics, roles, and routines of an athletic department communication worker at a major athletic conference university. It examines how those dynamics, roles, and routines influence content for the department's website and how this content upholds the athletic department's position of political and economic power in its geographical region and sustains the cultural hegemony of college football. I employed a month-long observation prior to and at the start of the 2012 University of Washington Huskies football season. A mixed-methods approach generated ample empirical data as collection procedures included participant observation, unstructured interviews, and document review. The results of this dissertation find the athletic department communication worker negotiating three roles: The roles of "Traditional Journalist" of "PR Practitioner" and of "Subordinate." This structure ultimately is utilized to exploit college football players, to place material interests ahead of human interests, and to maintain and strengthen the cultural hegemony of big-time college football.
Committee
Aimee Edmondson, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Courtney Cole, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
B. David Ridpath, Ed.D. (Committee Member)
Michael Sweeney, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Pages
149 p.
Subject Headings
Communication; Journalism
Keywords
sports journalism; sports media; sports public relations; college football
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