Television, Sports and Mass Culture

The Role of Television in American Sports After 1946

I. Televised Sports: Origins

TV changes the nature of sports

Love affair between TV and boxing

The love affair enters a “rocky” period

A very quiet Friday night Some boxing fans happy with

the end of fight night TV and sports—good, bad, or

both?

I. Televised Sports: Origins (cont.)

Sports on TV—an early novelty

--Columbia vs. Princeton (May 17, 1939)

Television industry takes off after World War II

Initial programming obstacles

Sports or Entertainment?

II. Wrestling on Television

History of wrestling During WWII, a new form of

professional wrestling emerged-- “Gorgeous” George

Lovers of “true” sports attacked George’s behavior

Ex-boxers and women turned to wrestling for a living

Women were avid viewers TV adds to “carnival”

atmosphere of wrestling

III. Roller Derby on Television

Origins of Roller Derby ABC introduces

televised roller derby in 1949

Similarities between pro wrestling and roller derby

Violent fans and swearing, punching women

IV. Boxing on Television

Boxing forges the strongest ties with TV in the 40’s and 50’s

Everyone connected with the partnership is at first pleased with the results

--Gillette Safety Razor Company and the “Friday Night Fights”

New standards for judging a “good” fight

IV. Boxing on Television (cont.)

Hurricane Jackson: the new style TV boxer

Popularity of white, well-rounded boxers

--Roland LaStarza and Chuck Davey

Television changes boxing

IV. Boxing on Television (cont.)

Television destroys the club system

Big fight arenas face reduced live gate revenues--Madison Square Garden

By late 1950’s, the romance between TV and boxing was stale

V. Basketball on Television

Television set sales jumped tremendously in 1948

Sports an important part of 1948 TV programming

Basketball dominates programming in the winter of 1948

Problems with TV coverage of basketball

VI. Baseball on Television

Technological problems Owners sign their own

TV deals to the detriment of competitive balance

Televised games take their toll at the gates

Decline for minor league teams a real problem

VII. Professional Football on TV

TV really contributes to the growth and popularity of pro football

Owners negotiated a single package with revenue sharing

Pro football looked good on early TV

1958 championship game By 1960, TV was firmly a part

of the sporting scene for better and for worse

VIII. The “Roone Revolution”

Real revolution in sports television in the 60’s and 70’s

Roone Arledge and Richard Nixon

Arledge’s background A bold new plan for

covering football games Near-perfect program

judgement

VIII. The “Roone Revolution” (cont)

First task: improve televised college football

Goal: attract the casual viewer

Lots of shots of beautiful women

Bringing the sounds of football to TV viewers

Introduces instant replay

IX. “Wide World of Sports”

Arledge’s approach successful from the beginning

Aggressive pursuit of the rights for major sports events

Keys to success for “Wide World of Sports”

Criticism of the show

IX. “Wide World of Sports”

The use of creative editing Securing the rights to

Acapulco cliff divers The appearances of “Evel”

Knievel Wide World of Sports

produced a number of spinoffs

-- “The American Sportsman”

-- “The Superstars”

X. Monday Night Football

Encouragement from Pete Rozelle

More and better technology

Selecting a team of announcers

--Keith Jackson Don Meredith: country

charm and humor

X. Monday Night Football (cont.)

Howard Cosell—the man people loved to hate

Reactions to the show were predictably strong

Team of announcers altered for the second season

--Frank Gifford

XI. The Olympics on Television

Arledge changed the way that Americans saw the Olympic Games

Host cities promised publicity and exposure

Heroic technology and extended coverage

An opportunity to promote their own television shows

XII. The Battle over Control of Television Sports

By the mid-70’s, Arledge was one of the top executives in the industry

-- “Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell”

Battle over the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games

Sports TV becomes a sellers market

--Sugar Ray Leonard

XIII. The Era of “Trash Sports”

Origins of ABC’s “The Superstars” (1973)--Red Auerbach protests the NBA’s betrayal

“Trash Sports” shows multiply

“Battle of the Network Stars”

Era of “trash sports” ended in the early 80’s

XIX. The “Golden Age” of Television Sports Ending?

Competition from local “superstations” and cable channels in the 80’s

--WTBS and ESPN Traditional sports

sponsors began moving their advertising dollars into other areas

XIX. The “Golden Age” of TV Sports Ending? (cont.)

TV networks caught between rising costs for rights and falling advertising dollars

Capital City takes over ABC in 1985

Rising costs for rights in the 90’s and sports dependence on television revenue

XIX. The “Golden Age” of TV Sports Ending? (cont.)

For the most part, televised sport takes place outside of prime time

Special events still work for prime time

NBC’s commitment to the Olympics in the 90’s

Appetite for TV sports still seems to be high

The success of the 1996 Atlanta Games on TV

XX. How Has Television Changed the Game Itself?

Has TV influenced the way a game is played?

Instant Replay The “TV time out” Starting times for games Schedule of Olympic events Winter Olympics bumped to

another year starting in 1994 1988 Calgary games moved North American settings