Symposium on Sport and Media, Loughborough University, May 16-17 2018
Changing the rules of the game? An interdisciplinary symposium examining the relationship between sport and media May 16/17th 2018, hosted by the Centre for Communication and Culture, Department of Social Sciences, Loughborough University, UK
DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS IS FAST APPROACHING – 19TH JANUARY 2018
The literature on the relationship between sport and media has grown quite noticeably in recent years, whether in relation to mega events, branding and marketing, fandom, sporting celebrity or broadcasting rights. It has been argued that the reach and popularisation of digital platforms has transformed the ways in which sports is played, watched, marketed and understood, driving new business models, generating novel connections between players and fans and, in some cases, changing the rules of the game as sports seek to broaden their appeal to media audiences and broadcasters.
While the expansion of broadcasting rights around the globe has fuelled record levels of investment in some sports, even the most popular are having to find new ways of engaging audiences, notably those from younger generations. For instance, the continuing investment of clubs and sports authorities in their own media platforms is likely to impact on the future development of sport around the globe. Elsewhere, E-sports are now being taken increasingly seriously by sporting organisations and sponsors with the 2022 Asian Games incorporating E-sports as a medal event.
This event seeks to take stock of current developments in the field and critically assess new theoretical and methodological approaches. Of particular interest will be current debates around mediatization in understanding contemporary trends in the domain of sport.
Loughborough University was recently named the best sporting university in the world in the global QS higher education league table and the event will feature contributions from both established and emerging scholars, including Toby Miller, Michael Silk and Kirsten Frandsen.
We welcome papers from post-graduate as well as established researchers in any discipline that can contribute to our understanding of the sport-media nexus, including, but not limited to; Broadcasting and sports rights Branding and marketing Crisis communication in sports Sport and celebrity Sport and disintermediation Globalisation, trans-nationalism and cosmopolitanism Sports coaching and tactics Fandom and fan experiences Fan media E-sports Sport and surveillance Mega events/media events/media spectacles Sport and everyday life Sport, media and identity Sports and (mis)management Datafication and sport Regulation of media sport
The conference fee, which will cover lunch and refreshments, will be £50.
Please send abstracts (250 words) to Michael Skey, m.skey@lboro.ac.uk by Friday 19th January 2018.
