Construction of Mediated National Identity Through Sports Journalists Twitter Feed

This study analyzed how Pakistani and Indian national identity was portrayed in selected Pakistani and Indian journalists’ tweets about the 2017 International Cricket Council (ICC) champions trophy final. There is an extensive body of literature that has documented the triad between sports, media, and national identity. However, most of the sports communication literature related to mediated construction of national identity has focused on western countries. Through the lens of Elias’s habitus thesis and employing textual analysis, Pakistani and Indian journalists’ 641 tweets during the game were analyzed. Results suggest that there are potential national variations in sports journalism and the type of media platform used when it comes to mediated construction of national identity and that journalistic styles and practices across old and new media influence each other.

Disability Narratives in Sports Communication: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games’ Best Practices and Implications

The Paralympic Games have become a relevant social and communication tool for the enhancement of global awareness and understanding of disability. The increasing visibility of this kind of global sports event, as well as the efforts of public authorities to make their host cities more accessible, evidence a relevant shift to new urban barrier-free experiences and discourses concerning disability. This research is guided by an exploratory case study approach to assess the disability representation and narratives within the context of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. The examination of some innovative communication strategies fostering the visibility of disability reveals a series of effective practices implemented in Japan. The focus on the personification of para-athletes, the celebration of public events to experience first-hand para-sports disciplines, as well as the engagement of school-children and young people in para-sports initiatives are predominant in the communication efforts of Tokyo 2020 in the pre-games period.

Communication and Sport: A Call to Action

The economic influence of media has dramatically changed the world of sport, leading sports organisations to increase their focus on communication and assets like brands and reputation. The intent for a more strategic communication within the sports industry must consider a broader and more profound reflection of how the world of sports intertwines with communication and its interactive process of creation, selection, and retention of meaning (Weick, 1979). As a practice and as a business, the social role played by sports, and the singularities of sports organisations are central pieces for the comprehension of the strategic sports communication model presented in this paper. It aims at encouraging researchers to dive into the realm of sports communication.

(Olympic) Sports (Sports Coverage)

The variable '(Olympic) sports' identifies (Olympic) sports that are the subject of communication. Field of application/theoretical foundation: The variable can be used in all fields of sports communication, but is particularly interesting with regard to communication about the Olympic Games. It is based on the current list of Olympic sports (IOC, 2020a) and the list of sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC, 2020b). References/combination with other methods of data collection: The list on which the category is based can also be used in surveys. In this way, it is possible, for example, to investigate whether the perception of relevance of (certain) sports in the population correspond or differ from the relevance journalists attribute to (certain) sports by the extent of their reporting. Example study: In a study by Vögele and Schäfer (2020) on the use of content analyses in sports communication, the category was used in a slightly adapted form. They coded sports that were the subject of the respective content analyses. In this way, it was possible to determine which sports are in the focus of sports communication research (and which are not; RH=1.0). (Olympische) Sportarten In dieser Kategorie werden die Sportarten verschlüsselt, über die der Beitrag berichtet. Sind die Olympischen Spiele allgemein Gegenstand der Berichterstattung, sind die übergeordneten Ausprägungen „100“ (Sommerspiele) bzw. „200“ (Winterspiele) zu codieren. Werden im Beitrag keine Sportarten oder olympischen Sportereignisse thematisiert, wird „0“ codiert. Sonstige Sportarten werden mit „9999“ verschlüsselt. 000 keine (olympische) Sportart oder olympischen Sportereignisse thematisiert 1000 Olympische Sommerspiele 1010 American Football 1020 Automobilsport 1030 Badminton 1040 Bandy 1050 Baseball/Softball 1060 Basketball 1070 Beach Volleyball 1080 Bergsteigen 1090 Billard 1100 Bogenschießen 1110 Boules 1120 Bowling 1130 Boxen 1140 Bridge 1150 Cheerleading 1160 Cricket 1170 Fechten 1180 Floorball 1190 Flugsport 1200 Fußball 1210 Frisbee 1220 Gewichtheben 1230 Golf 1240 Handball 1250 Hockey 1260 Judo 1270 Kanusport 1271 Kanu Slalom 1272 Kanu Sprint 1280 Karate 1290 Kickboxen 1300 Korfball 1310 Lacrosse 1320 Leichtathletik 1330 Moderner Fünfkampf 1340 Motorbootsport 1350 Motorradsport 1360 Muaythai 1370 Netball 1380 Orientierungslauf 1390 Pelota 1400 Polo 1410 Radsport 1411 Bahnradsport 1412 BMX 1413 Mountain Bike 1414 Straßenradsport 1420 Racquetball 1430 Reitsport 1431 Dressurreiten 1432 Springreiten 1433 Vielseitigkeitsreiten 1440 Ringen 1441 Freistilringen 1442 Griechisch-römisches Ringen 1450 Rudern 1460 Rugby 1470 Rollsport 1471 Rollhockey 1472 Rollkunstlauf 1473 Inlineskaten 1474 Inlinehockey 1480 Sambo 1490 Schach 1500 Schießen 1510 Schwimmsport 1511 Freiwasserschwimmen 1512 Schwimmen (Bahn) 1513 Synchronschwimmen 1514 Rettungsschwimmen 1520 Segeln 1530 Skateboarding 1540 Sportklettern 1550 Surfen 1560 Taekwondo 1570 Tanzen 1580 Tauziehen 1590 Tennis 1600 Tischtennis 1610 Trampolinsport 1620 Turmspringen 1630 Turnsport 1631 Geräteturnen 1632 Rhythmische Sportgymnastik 1640 Triathlon 1650 Squash 1660 Sumoringen 1670 Unterwassersport 1680 Volleyball 1690 Wasserball 1700 Wasserski 1710 Wushu 2000 Olympische Winterspiele 2010 Biathlon 2020 Bobsport 2030 Curling 2040 Eishockey 2050 Eiskunstlauf 2060 Eisschnellauf 2070 Eisstock 2080 Nordische Kombination 2090 Rodeln 2100 Short Track 2110 Skeleton 2120 Ski Alpin 2130 Skibergsteigen 2140 Ski Freestyle 2150 Skilanglauf 2160 Skispringen 2170 Snowboard 9999 Sonstige Sportart References The International Olympic Committee (IOC) (2020a). Recognised federations. Abgerufen von https://www.olympic.org/recognised-federations The International Olympic Committee (IOC) (2020b). Sports. Abgerufen von https://www.olympic.org/sports Vögele, C. & Schäfer, M. (2020). Inhaltsanalysen in der Sportkommunikation. In F. Oehmer, S. H. Kessler, K. Sommer, E. Humprecht & L. Castro Herrero (Hrsg.), Handbook of Standardized Content Analysis: Applied Designs to Research Fields of Communication Science.

Sociolinguistic aspects of German “sambo” discourse

The article is devoted to the study of the sociolinguistic aspects of the German-language sambo discourse. The research focuses on the sports space of the discourse of sambo, human communication, social institutions, rituals in sports, and the symbolism of the sports space. Sport is seen as a social phenomenon; the characteristic features of sports discourse, the predestination of the nature of communication in German sports discourse, the role and intentions of participants in sports discourse as the main figures of interaction in the communicative space are determined; the specificity is analyzed and the characteristic features of the intersection of institutional discourses are revealed; we identify and explain the significance, semiotics and scripting in the German-language sports discourse. The main aspects that contribute to the formation of social space, sports communication and that determine the formation of sports space are revealed. Video materials in German and printed publications with German terminology were used as research and analysis material. By analyzing research materials, a complex methodology is needed, namely the use of contextual analysis, discourse analysis and functional analysis of units of German-language special vocabulary.

Sports Fans’ Discourse: Metaphors They Live by (Based on M. Andrack’s «Lebenslänglich Fußball. Vom Wahnsinn, Fan zu sein»)

The article is devoted to the analysis of sports fans’ discourse which is an important part of sports communication. This discourse is examined in the light of the cognitive metaphor as an object for world cognition and modelling. The research is based on one of the most popular works of the new genre (fan diary) – the book written by M. Andrack, a journalist, writer and TV presenter who has a status of an experienced football fan apart from his vocation. Research methods comprise cognitive and discourse analysis, modelling, classification, distributional analysis applied to reveal collocations of certain lexemes. On the basis of the results of the empirical analysis, the article reveals metaphoric representations of key concepts in fans’ subculture built round «rooting »; metaphors having a common reference source (religion, magic, theatre, vehicles, medicine, erotic art, gender, etc.) are united into bigger groups – metaphoric models. The work demonstrates classic and specific (via precedent facts of life and intradiscourse import of concepts) variants for conceptualization of reality by football fans through the metaphoric reference system.

Towards a Social Justice Disposition in Communication and Sport Scholarship

In this introduction to a special issue on sport communication and social justice, we offer some reflections on the state of the discipline as it relates to social justice. We bring attention to the role of sport communication scholars in the advancement of social justice goals and articulate a set of dispositions for researchers to bring to their practice, predicated on internalizing and centralizing morality, ethics, and the political. Identifying the epistemological (under)currents in the meaningful study of communication and sport, we offer a set of challenges for researchers in the contemporary critique of the communication industries based on “sensibilities” or dispositions of the research to those studied. We then introduce and frame the 13 articles that make up this double special issue of Communication & Sport. Collectively, these articles begin to demonstrate such dispositions in their interrogation of some of the most important and spectacularized acts of social justice campaigns and activism in recent decades alongside investigations of everyday forms of marginalization, resistance, and collective action that underpin social change—both progressive and regressive. We hope this special issue provides a vehicle for continued work in the area of sports communication and social justice.

Their Hands Communicate and Their Eyes Listen: Perceptions of Small Group Messages Amongst Deaf College Basketball Players

This study concentrated on small group communication amongst Deaf basketball players. The central aim of the current research was to explore how outsiders perceive the communication of Deaf athletes who communicate via American Sign Language (ASL) in the sport of college basketball. Cultural identity theory (CIT) provided a theoretical foundation for the current research, while the extant literature on small groups was discussed to provide insight on intrateam messages. The participants in this study completed a pretest that centered on sports communication, partook in a distraction exercise, were informed they were analyzing Deaf athletes who communicate in ASL, and then completed a post-test that centered on sports communication. One of the main findings was that Deaf basketball players were perceived to share messages of acceptance with one another. Additional results revealed that Deaf basketball players were perceived to resolve conflict in a positive manner and were less likely to engage in negative conflict while communicating with teammates. Implications for CIT were a focal point in the study discussion as were practical implications tied to effective communication in team sports.