Sport in Journalism and Fiction in the United States Today

Thesis (M.A.) , 2005 , 113 Pages , Grade: 1,0

American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography

This book with the title „Sports in Journalism and Fiction in the United States Today” by Karsten Senkbeil analyzes the imagery and rhetoric in the public representation of the two most popular American sports, namely Baseball and American Football.
The research is twofold: on the one hand, a corpus consisting of journalistic texts which appeared on the internet and dealt with one of these sports was assembled and quantitative and qualitative analyses of the rhetoric in these texts was executed with software tools from Corpus Linguistics. Central concern was the analysis in respect of national ideology and myth, commercialization and imagery if heroism. On the other hand, a hermeneutic literary analysis of works by contemporary American authors (DeLillo, Coover, Roth and others), which had sport as a central topic, examined whether and how the imagery and rhetoric found in the corpus analysis was mirrored and critically dealt with on a literary level.
Results are manifold. Both sports, the modern and aggressive American Football and the pastoral, conservative baseball, turn out to by recognized as emblematic expressions of typical American values. As 'national pastimes' they are more than distractive spectacles but inherit and re-enact parts of American national ideology.
Militaristic and imperialistic undertones are often found in the corpus and these attitudes are critically and ironically reflected by literary authors. An examination of religious metaphors showed how mass media spectator sport has acquired a status of quasi-religious myth-making, its values and belief systems intermixing with and superimposing on classic religious and national myths. Commercialization in sports and economic globalization is greeted with suspicion by both sports journalists and authors. Instead, American professional sport turns out to be a spectacle built around folk heroes, whose status and media representation shows how the American public cherishes individual success. As ‘Apollonian’ and ‘Dionysian’ heroes athletes succeed by embodying genius and creativity, at the same time orderliness and conservatism.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1 Literature - Sources and Methods
  • 1.2 Journalism – Sources and Methods
• 2. Why Football? Why Baseball?
• 2.1 Why Baseball?
• 2.2 Why Football?
• 3. Play vs. Fight
• 3.1 Defining a scale
• 3.2 Journalism...
• 3.3 Literature........
• 4. Militarism and Imperialism
• 5. Commercialization and Automation.……….....
• 6. Folk Heroes and Team Spirit...
• 7. Ritual and Myth
• 8. Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper aims to analyze how sports are perceived in the USA today by examining journalistic articles from the past five years and literary works from the last forty years. The focus is on football and baseball, the two most popular spectator sports in the United States, due to their distinct nature and cultural significance. The key themes explored in the text include:

• The evolution of sports in literature and journalism in the United States
• The relationship between sport and American culture, society, and national identity
• The use of sport as a metaphor for broader social and political issues
• The role of sport in shaping perceptions of American values and ideologies
• The impact of historical events, such as the Cold War, on the representation of sport in literature and journalism

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter introduces the topic of sport in literature and journalism in the United States, highlighting the historical disconnect between the intellectual world of literature and the physical realm of sport. It emphasizes the growing recognition of sport's significance in understanding American culture and the importance of analyzing both literary and journalistic representations of sport. The chapter also outlines the objective of the paper, which is to examine how sport is perceived in the United States today through the lens of football and baseball.
• Chapter 2: Why Football? Why Baseball? This chapter explores the unique cultural significance of football and baseball in the United States, explaining why these two sports are particularly relevant for understanding American society. It delves into the specific characteristics of each sport and their connection to American values, ideologies, and historical context.
• Chapter 3: Play vs. Fight This chapter examines the distinction between the concepts of "play" and "fight" as they relate to sports, focusing on how these concepts manifest in both literary and journalistic representations of football and baseball. It explores the different approaches taken by authors and journalists in portraying these sports, from naturalistic depictions to more symbolic and metaphorical interpretations.
• Chapter 4: Militarism and Imperialism This chapter analyzes the themes of militarism and imperialism as they appear in the context of American sport, particularly football and baseball. It explores how these themes are reflected in the narratives, metaphors, and imagery used in both literary and journalistic accounts of these sports, providing insights into the connections between sport and broader social and political forces in the United States.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The keywords and focus topics of this work encompass the cultural and societal significance of sport in the United States, particularly football and baseball. Key concepts include American culture, national identity, sport as a metaphor, Western myths, social satire, commercialization, automation, militarism, imperialism, Cold War, and post-Cold War perspectives. This study aims to analyze how these themes manifest in both literary and journalistic representations of sport, offering valuable insights into the multifaceted relationship between sport and American society.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are Baseball and American Football viewed in terms of American values?

Baseball is often seen as a pastoral and conservative "national pastime," while American Football represents a more modern, aggressive, and strategic expression of American national ideology.

What is the role of militarism in American sports journalism?

The analysis reveals significant militaristic and imperialistic undertones in sports reporting, which are often used to frame the competition and heroism of athletes.

How do contemporary American authors treat sports in their fiction?

Authors like DeLillo, Roth, and Coover often use sports as a metaphor to critically and ironically reflect on social issues, national myths, and the commercialization of society.

What is meant by the "quasi-religious" status of spectator sports?

Mass media sport has acquired a status where its rituals, values, and belief systems intermix with classic religious and national myths, creating a modern form of myth-making.

How is the concept of the "folk hero" applied to athletes?

Athletes are represented as Apollonian or Dionysian heroes who embody individual success, creativity, and genius, reflecting the American public's admiration for individual achievement.

How does commercialization affect the perception of sports?

Both journalists and literary authors view the heavy commercialization and economic globalization of sports with suspicion, often seeing it as a threat to the traditional values of the game.

• College: University of Osnabrück
• Grade: 1,0
• Author: Magister Artium Karsten Senkbeil (Author)
• Publication Year: 2005
• Pages: 113
• Catalog Number: V72931
• ISBN (eBook): 9783638629843
• ISBN (Book): 9783638862073
• Language: English
• Tags: Sport, Journalism, Fiction, United, States, Today