Magazine Mock-up

Planning and Research

Research:

From looking at various sports magazine front covers we have an idea of what the front cover is, which is have one image of a famous athlete, which is what is common on sports magazines, also in newspaper ones. As the audience is now changed to a more A/B audience, it's going to look more sophisticated and simple. The main athlete would be David Beckham as it corresponds to one of the articles that we are doing. The first article is going to be on the 10 most influential footballers of the decade and the second is going to be a preview of the upcoming French Open and Wimbledon tennis grand slams.

Weekly Progress:

We've gotten the basic idea for each artcle and the front cover by looking at research on other sports magazines. We know that we will be using Dacid Beckham as the main image for the front cover and also the two articles. The first article is going to be on the 10 most influential footballers of the decade and the second is going to be a preview of the upcoming French Open and Wimbledon tennis grand slams. We also know what we will write about for both articles.

Action Plan for Production

Week 1- More research in magazines which target A/B readers. What conventions and techniques will be similar to ours?

Week 2- Decide on masthead of magazine. Also starting on the magazine cover.

Week 3- Finish magazine cover and half way through first magazine article.

Week 4- Finish the copy of the first article and starting second article.

Week 5- Complete second article and check all work for any improvements.

Self Evaluation

WWW:

• Well paced Presentation
• Worked well as a pair
• Good use of media terminology
• Range of appropriate images
• Researched genre

EBI:

• Change audience class from C/D to A/B
• Make slide simple
• Use less words on slides
• Don't use sentences
• More detail on slides

MEST 4 Research and Planning Power Point

Mest 4 Research And Planning[1]

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3 Texts for Linked Production

The following is an article from Four Four Two magazine. It is clear to see that the target audience for this is different to Match. Conventions that suggest this are that it is set out in a simple structure. It has a typical format of an article, as it is set into columns with images on the side. The reason for this simplicity maybe because the magazine intends to attract a more mature and older audience. A further explanation for this is that the magazine doesn't consist of much colour. This maybe useful as I may target a similar audience and what conventions are used for an article in a sports magazine. Such as by having the title in bold.

3 Texts for Linked Production

Match is a British sports magazine, which focuses purely on football. This has a clear distinction with ESPN magazine as it focusing on a specific sports and may have a 'niche' market. The target readers for this magazine are teenagers but mainly pre- teenagers. The indication of this is due to the amount of colour reflecting on the cover, it aims to attracts a younger audience through this. Also the cover consists of a lot of images and bold writing, this is to attract these young readers and attempt to maintain them as readers. In addition, on the front cover there isn't much space left, the reason for this is as they are attracting a younger audience, they may lose interest quicker so by avoiding a more simple cover there is a better chance of gaining more readers. Some of these conventions may have to be considered as my sports magazine will focus on football. Although my target audience maybe different.

3 Texts for Linked Production

ESPN magazine, is an American sports magazine which is hugely popular. The reason for its popularity may be down to the fact it focuses on a range of different sports. An example is the cover above, which shows a basketball player, Kobe Bryant in a Barcelona football t-shirt. This demonstrates how the magazine links different sports together and doesn't focus on one particular area. Furthermore, the institution makes it seem more global, due to it linking basketball, a popular sport in America and football, the most consumed sports in Europe. Furthermore a convention that has been noticed is that the magazine tends to go for household names as the cover of their magazines. This maybe due to them attempting to attract readers, as they will be aware that a well known sports person is featuring in the magazine. I will have to consider using a similar approach as it is a typical conventions of sports magazines to have one of the best in a particular sport.

Critical Investigation

“World Cup’s organisers FIFA claimed that an unprecedented 1.1 billion people watched the 2002 final between Brazil and Germany”[i].

An investigation into whether the media's seemingly 'heroic' portrayal of sports heroes and villains, disappointments and triumphs, winners and losers, victory and defeat”[ii]. Athletes at major sporting events have been represented in diverse ways; the factors considered in people during the Olympics and other sports seems to offer a more unified and utopic notion of global cohesion. Or is it just constructed imagery?

“There are this quote may decide the outcome of how each sports person will be portrayed. Victory is a crucial element when the ‘heroic’ portrayal is created as it is a way of proving their capabilities. However, questions can be posed as to why sports people, in particular at sporting events are depicted as heroes. An explanation for this is the idea of them representing a nation, and therefore representing a population, which is relying and counting on them. These would be similar expectancies of superheroes. “Television gave extra prominence to top clubs and made celebrities out of their players”[iii]. The media have enabled sports people to be perceived as superiors and gain popularity through media institutions. Hence, the media are responsible for developing sports people into renowned individuals and above society. For instance, “Bobby Moore lifting the World Cup in 1966[iv]” may not have been as significant if it was not broadcasted on television. Therefore the media’s role was powerful in connoting the ideologies of heroism in the sport. Such an event may not have been referred to on countless occasions, if not for the media’s role.

When developing a 'heroic' portrayal of sports people, a fundamental stage is the narrative. To “produce sporting narratives that can emphasise drama, spectacle and significance”[v] is essential when transforming a sports person into a sports hero. A text which underlines the importance of this is 'Miracle' (2004). The film is about a failing US hockey team, which under a new coach defy the odds and win gold at the 1980 Olympics. “The movie did a good job showing how seemingly impossible it seemed for the young American team to beat the best team in the world who had been playing together for 10 years”[vi]. This is not an unusual narrative as it allows audiences to sympathise with the hockey players during their time of struggle, and they’re able to see them flourish. This is significant as the hockey players have to be seen as likeable in order to gain popularity from the audience and thus supporting them in the end. If this doesn’t occur then the unity between the hockey players and the audience is lost. Furthermore the text has been distributed by Walt Disney, which is notorious for the creation of Disneyland; their aim is for people “to feel like they’re in another world”[vii]. This links to the idea of utopia as it attempts to promote a place of perfection. Values such as this are passed on to the text and are confirmed when the team emerges victorious. However, this raises the point that it may be constructed imagery, due to the narrative being too idealistic, and therefore it makes it difficult for audiences to identify with the players.

Global cohesion is seen through sporting events taking place, as well as the opening ceremonies, which also echoes global cohesion by celebrating the history of such events. For example the opening ceremonies of the Olympics held in Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004 connote society to be unified. This is expressed through a huge amount of colour and people dressed the same to represent their nation. By doing this the ceremonies enforce cohesion through pride and chauvinistic patriotism. Nonetheless, this may prove that there is a lack of global cohesion as society has become more into nationalism. Sporting events prove this as people tend to focus more on their own country. However this maybe due to how institutions present sport to the people as they may construct it in a nationalistic way. Such as the BBC’s coverage of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the main stories concerned the British achievements of Cathy Freeman and Michael Johnson in the women’s and men’s 400 meters. “Patriotism and nationalism are close allies”[viii]. It can be argued that the Olympics have a strong link with nationality as the medal winner’s nationality has clear relevance. The playing of the gold-winner’s national anthem and the waving of their flag means national pride is a critical piece of sports achievement.

A further example of nationalism includes the Daily Mirror article headlined “Achtung! Surrender”[ix], the article was building up the England vs Germany match for the event Euro 1996. This was an obvious case of jingoistic ideologies as it showed two England footballers in Second World War helmets. Tabloid newspapers like the one mentioned evidently provide representations that will offer global cohesion. This is because it is attempting to get people behind its nation through the false impression that it is a war. On the other hand, it could be debated that nationalism does not occur in every sport or isn’t to the same extent. One popular sport that comes to mind is tennis. This is perhaps due to most of the rewards being focused on individuals and their own personal accomplishments. Consequently, it could be questioned that a ‘heroic’ portrayal is more frequent in tennis and other individual sports rather than team sports. The reason for this is the attention of the audience and the media is directly focused on the individual rather than shared between a team. “Federer made his point and created, once more, the magnificent illusion that he could do anything, that no challenge or pressure was so great that it could not be sustained by the sheer scale of his talent and his resolve”[x]. In addition it is more straight-forward for audiences and the media to attach a protagonist and antagonist role in a sport like tennis. Moreover it allows audiences to identify with them more as they are able to understand and interact with the narrative by knowing who to route for. Yet, this may mean in tennis there is less of a chance of global cohesion as there are two competitors and people’s allegiances will be split.

Conversely, there are many theoretical views of relating sports to media. Such as Marxism, “the media are instruments of social control whose content is manipulated to mislead people and encourage them to accept their subordination”[xi]. The media gives hegemonic ideologies which benefit the ruling class; this is referred to by Althusser as an “ideological state apparatus”[xii]. The link between this and sports is, the media permit the thought that sports people are representing society and the working class. However, the Marxist view would argue it is a means of maintaining the status quo as it creates “false consciousness”[xiii]. The media is controlled and run by the ruling class and is used as an agent of social control, one of the ways this is done is through sports people. Athletes are represented as heroes in order to create unity with the working class viewers; this enables them to be content with their lives as they are unaware of their exploitation.

A valid argument would be that as Britain is more ethnically diverse, it has enabled the media to appeal to different audiences and lead to a unified society. This is through, “increased money from advertising, sponsorship and media revenues has led to increased player wages/expensive foreign imports”[xiv]. By having a greater amount of foreign sports people, it facilitates a global cohesion as there is a range of nationalities representing sports, this connotes that ethnic minorities are not left secluded with no sports icon to represent them. The awareness of ethnic diversity may perhaps have a bearing on why London’s 2012 Olympic bid was so successful. London which overcame Paris in the final as hosts for the 2012 Olympics had contrasting approaches in how they were going to succeed in their proposal. Paris emphasised on their traditions and the legacy of the Olympics, while London demonstrated the idea of how ethnically diverse the city is and how this links to the idea of the Olympics having a range of different talents from different backgrounds. London’s bid also referred to the importance of how the Olympics can “inspire young people from around the world[xv]” by viewing sports people as role models. Consequently it can be argued that London was more successful as they enforced the view of athletes being portrayed as heroes and also the views on international unity.

There is an indication that sports is becoming widely celebrated with major sporting events now going to be hosted on continents that have never done this before. Such as the 2010 Fifa World Cup will be hosted by South Africa and the 2016 Olympics will take place in Rio, Brazil. The Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva claimed “For South America, it will be a magical moment. For the Olympic Movement, it will be an opportunity to feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture, the sun of our joy”[xvi]. This signifies that not only do the media contribute to sports being linked to a global cohesion but organisations such as the International Olympic Committee also assist in this. In addition it suggests how society has become more contemporary and is promoting ideologies of equality as other continents are getting a chance to host big sporting events. Although it can be debated that sport is losing its traditions; “Netball is hoping to follow the example of rugby sevens by campaigning for the inclusion of a cut-down, speeded-up version of the sport in the Olympics”[xvii]. It can be questioned that the purpose and motive of sports has changed as rules are changing in order to make it more entertaining for audiences. As a result the conventions that go along with sports may possibly be changing. Nevertheless, it could be argued because sports is more entertainment focused, it appeals to a wider more universal audience, as a result sport is more globally cohesive.

The media seems to be the key explanation for the ‘heroic’ portrayal of sports people. On the other hand, due to the introduction of user- generated content, other media institutions may not have as much of an influence on the representations of sports people. “Social networking sites with video streaming facilities have led to more broadcast exposure for minority sports, as participants/fans post their own videos on the internet”[xviii]. This has led to different perspectives of sports people and may go against Marxism’s theory. This is because user-generated content has led to working class people able to share their views, “blogging is a common practice for contemporary sports audiences”[xix]. Conversely, this may support the idea of sport being presented as constructed imagery. This is because audiences are able to give their own outlook on sport which may not be truthful.

Overall, there is a great amount of evidence which suggests the media’s ‘heroic’ portrayal of sports people during sports events seems to offer a unified and utopic notion of global cohesion. A key explanation for this is big sporting events such as the Fifa World Cup and the Olympics focus a great deal on national achievements. The Olympics is seen “as the television event that brings the 'global village' together through shared appreciation of the universal ideals embodied in athletic competition, transcending racial, national and religious differences”[xx]. Sporting events like the Olympics link to global cohesion due to the amount of media coverage surrounding it.

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[i] Creeber, G (2004). p. 85.

[ii] Probert, D, Graham, A (2008). p. 151.

[iii] Bennett, P, Slater, J, Wall, P (2006). p. 11-12.

[iv] ibid. p12.

[v] Casey, B, Casey, N, Calvert, B, French, L, Lewis, J (2002). p. 228.

[vi] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349825/usercomments

[vii]http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/62206/disney_the_happiest_place_on_earth.html?cat=25

[viii] Mackinson, K (2003). p. 103.

[ix]http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2008/02/the_mirror_achtung_surrender_euro_96.php

[x] http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/great-sporting-moments-rafael-nadal-defeats-roger-federer-in-wimbledon-final-1741148.html

[xi] Williams, K (2003). p. 38.

[xii] http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1970/ideology.htm

[xiii] Webb, R, Westergaard, H, Trobe, K, Steel, L (2009). p. 228.

[xiv] Probert, D, Graham, A (2008). p. 159

[xv] http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/jul/06/olympics2012.olympicgames1

[xvi] http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,15234_5601627,00.html

[xvii] http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/oct/18/netball-campaign-olympics-2020

[xviii] Probert, D, Graham, A (2008). p. 159.

[xix] ibid.

[xx] Creeber, G (2004). p. 149.

Bibliography

Work Cited

Websites:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349825/usercomments

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/62206/disney_the_happiest_place_on_earth.html?cat=25

http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2008/02/the_mirror_achtung_surrender_euro_96.php

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/great-sporting-moments-rafael-nadal-defeats-roger-federer-in-wimbledon-final-1741148.html

http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1970/ideology.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/jul/06/olympics2012.olympicgames1

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,15234_5601627,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/oct/18/netball-campaign-olympics-2020

Books:

Mackinson, Kenneth (2003): Representing Men Maleness and Masculinity in the Media. London: Arnold.

Williams, Kevin (2003): Understanding Media Theory. London: Arnold.

Creeber, Glen (2004): Fifty Key Television Programmes. London: Arnold.

Casey, Bernadette, Casey, Neil. Calvert, Ben. French, Liam. Lewis, Justin (2002): Television Studies The Key Concepts. London: Routledge.

Probert, David. Graham, Andrew (2008): Advanced Media Studies. Oxfordshire: Phillip Allan Updates.

Bennett, Peter. Slater, Jerry. Wall, Peter (2006): A2 Media Studies: The Essential Introduction. Oxon: Routledge.

Work Consulted

Internet:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/oct/16/sport-magazine-top-50-jeremy-darroch

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/dec/14/chrishoy-cycling

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/30/olympicsandthemedia.ofcom

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/de-vos-urges-2012-olympic-athletes-to-aim-high-1809967.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/golf-and-rugby-get-olympic-nod-1771479.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/12/brazil-newspapers-circulation

Books:

Miller, Toby. Lawrence, Geoffrey. McKay, Jim. Rowe, David (2001). Globalization and Sport: Playing The World, London: Sage.

Carmann, Lyan. Mclean, David (2003). Media and Society in the 20th century. Australia; Blackwell

Andrews, Maggie. Stevenson, Elspeth. Burton, Julia (2009): AQA Media Studies. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.

Senn, Alfred (1999): Power, Politics, And The Olympic Games. United States: Human Kinetics.