Introduction
Journalism is a complex profession that assumes various particular spheres of information transfer. Among the most exciting materials are those depicting sports events. Sports broadcasting is widely popular worldwide and has millions of fans in many countries. This paper will consider two significant companies, ESPN and HBO Real Sports, whose contributions to sports broadcasting are difficult to overestimate. ESPN and Real Sports significantly influenced modern journalism and added new, unique approaches.
Element and Representations
The Creative content and programming were chosen as the main elements to be explored. Sports broadcasting is a fascinating information translation method requiring unique approaches to catch the audience’s attention. Therefore, for the primary two representations to depict the element in different areas and describe its peculiarities, ESPN E:60 and HBO Real Sports were chosen. Both sources have exciting materials concerning various vital topics on both entertaining and tragic events.
ESPN E:60
The Era and the Significance
Among the most influential sports broadcasting companies, it is essential to name ESPN. Remarkably, this studio established many standards for transferring information about sports events and significantly improved journalism. In addition, it is a national broadcaster, which adds to the impact of other major studios. According to Hull (2022), “ESPN is certainly the most prominent national sports television broadcaster” (p. 30). Particular attention should be paid to its program called ESPN E:60.
Two Examples
The program’s name is based on its characteristic, which is the sixty-minute broadcast of sports news and events. This broadcasting company, specifically the E:60 program, was established in 2007 and represented the sports events of the first decade of the twenty-first century (Hull, 2022). As two examples of sports broadcasting and the use of creative content and programming in E:60, it is vital to stress two videos. First, the video “How Oakland Shaped Marshawn Lynch into ‘Beast Mode’” (ESPN, 2017) and the second, “The Derby Horses and Their Barnyard Buddies” (ESPN, 2017). Both videos represent a unique way for ESPN to broadcast the topic using creative materials such as collages, direct quotes, archive videos, etc.
HBO Real Sports
The Era and the Significance
HBO Real Sports is the second chosen representation of creativity and programming in sports broadcasting. While considering its significance in creative broadcasting and programming, one should state that this show mixes various genres such as interviews, regular narrations, storytelling, and others (Washburn & Lamb, 2020). In addition, this approach also allows HBO to add many topics that are not covered in regular sports broadcastings. Among them are ethical problems in sports, cultural issues, and others. Consequently, HBO Real Sports contributed to the specific changes regarding the attitude towards the focus on themes in the sports broadcasting sphere.
Two Examples
As for the era this studio represents, due to its establishment in 1995, Real Sports assumes to cover the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century (Washburn & Lamb, 2020). As two vital examples of this broadcasting studio and its representation of the era, one can stress two following video materials. First, a great example of adding additional topics to sports broadcasting, such as ethical and political issues, is the video “Real Sports Podcast: “Trump’s Golf Reckoning” with John Feinstein | Episode 2 | HBO” (HBO, 2021). The second example of HBO’s creativity and programming is “Travel Sports by Subway | Real Sports w/ Bryant Gumbel | HBO” (HBO, 2018). It considers the unusual topic of accessibility and finances in sports.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is essential to highlight the importance of both representations in the history of sports journalism. ESPN and HBO contributed significantly to sports broadcasting by applying new methods. In particular, their creative approaches combined with programming allowed them to establish new standards and add new topics to information transfer. Their influence on modern media and broadcast studios continues to be dramatically high.
References
ESPN. (2017). How Oakland shaped Marshawn Lynch into ‘Beast Mode’ | E:60 | ESPN Archive [Video]. YouTube. Web.
ESPN. (2017). The derby horses and their barnyard buddies | E:60 | ESPN Archives [Video]. YouTube. Web.
HBO. (2021). Real sports podcast: “Trump’s Golf reckoning” with John Feinstein | Episode 2 | HBO [Video]. YouTube. Web.
HBO. (2018). Travel sports by subway | Real sports w/ Bryant Gumbel | HBO [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Hull, K. (2022). Sports broadcasting. Human Kinetics.
Washburn, P. S., & Lamb, C. (2020). Sports journalism: A history of glory, fame, and technology. Nebraska.