This dissertation builds on Wenner's (Wenner, L.A. (1989). Media, Sports and Society: The Research Agenda. In L. A. Wenner (Ed.), Media, Sports and Society (pp. 13-48). Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications Inc.) claims about how the culture of sport is changed as it is mediated by examining the mediation of sport through four digital sports games produced by Electronic Arts--Fight Night Round 2, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, MVP Baseball 2005, and John Madden Football 2005. Following the example of digital game scholars, I employ a multi-level method of textual analysis in engaging the representation and gameplay of these respective titles. The dissertation uses three case studies to tease out the ideological implications of these games as they position their users. The fourth case study examines how the digital sports game audience responds to the ideologies and positioning identified in the textual analysis sections. In responding to the broader optimism of new media theorists, I argue for a consideration of the specific context of the digital sports game as a way into measuring the validity of their positions. In looking at the mediation of the body in Fight Night Round 2, golf and its attendant culture in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, the ubiquitous quantification of MVP Baseball 2005, and audience responses to John Madden Football 2005, I argue that the potential freedom certain strands of new media theory proclaim is constrained by the ideologies resident in the texts examined here and the ways in which these digital sports games position their users. As such, scrutinizing these specific new media contexts reveals we should ultimately be cautious about the degree to which they offer the kinds of progressive freedoms advocated by celebratory new media scholarship.

The aim of this thesis was to create a new communications strategy for the athletics meeting called Grand Prix Ústí nad Labem, thereby ensuring greater participation of the audience. The first part of this thesis is focused on the theoretical background with an emphasis on marketing communication and it's differences in the focus on sport and the development of effective communication using the tools of the communication mix. The second part of this work is devoted to the history and present of the athletics in Ústí nad Labem and the history of Grand Prix Ústí nad Labem. The third part of this thesis describes the current operation of the athletic meeting, it's organizational structure and financial aspects of the existing communication strategy. The fourth part is the actual research conducted through questionnaires. The results of the survey and additional outputs from SPSS helped to create the fifth part, the part which is designed to refocus the athletic meeting communication strategy -- billboards, tickets, TV commercials, to improve Internet and Internet forums communications, etc., which should help increase public participation in the actual Grand Prix meeting Ústí nad Labem.

Collective case study (Creswell, 2014; Stake, 1995) was used to explore the journey of coach-athlete dyads who were able to successfully maintain their training and interpersonal relationships throughout the course of the athlete enduring a mental block. Three coach-athlete dyads, plus one additional athlete, completed in-depth one-on-one interviews, discussing their coach-athlete relationship before, during, and after the mental block. All dyads were same sex, nationally ranked coach-athlete pairs, from sports involving mandatory elements that include both twisting and flipping components. Categorical aggregation of participant statements lead to the formation of five main themes associated with dyads successfully overcoming a mental block (where success was defined as the athlete regaining the ability to perform the skill that they had previously been unable to do on account of the mental block and the dyad maintaining their training and interpersonal relationship): 1) Get to Know Your Athlete: The Need for High Quality Communication; 2) Be a United Front; 3) Mistakes and Miscommunications Happen: Recovery is Key; 4) Seek Outside Resources; 5) Be Patient. Results suggest that an environment for success can flourish when each party is open, honest, and self-aware of their own limitations. It is suggested that future research utilize the 3 + 1Cs Model of the coach-athlete relationship in exploring how dyads can successfully overcome a mental block.

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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aims to investigate the impact of individual sociocultural and linguistic differences on the creation of a successful sports team on and off the field. The specific team of interest for this particular study is the Western Province amateur cricket team, based in Cape Town, South Africa. The sociocultural and linguistic differences of the participants were examined using theories focusing on intercultural communication and the various strategies that can be put in place to overcome the barriers of intercultural difference within a sports team. To this end the linguistic repertoires of participants were captured through the use of language biographies. The study further investigates how participants consider themselves to be a part of the team’s community of practice (CofP), and seeks to identify obstacles in terms of acquiring and maintaining membership of this CofP. The data is analysed with the use of thematic analysis (TA) methodology. In total 17 members of the Western Province amateur cricket team participated in the study, two coaches and 15 players. They are speakers of English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. Questionnaires which elicit both personal and linguistic background information, as well as information on perceived linguistic competence, were used for data collection. Along with the questionnaires, structured interviews which aimed to determine language preferences in receiving feedback and level of comfort when communicating with speakers of different languages and from different cultures, were conducted. The questionnaire and interview data reflect the linguistic preferences of the participants, however also show that all participants conform to the team’s lingua franca in order to understand and communicate openly without misunderstanding. The study shows that sociocultural and linguistic differences can act as a barrier to a sports team’s dynamic and environment, but these barriers can be overcome to create a successful and cohesive community of practice on and off the field. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het ten doel om die impak van individuele sosiokulturele- en taalverskille op die skep van 'n suksesvolle sportspan, beide op en van die veld af, te ondersoek. Die spesifieke span van belang in hierdie studie is die Westelike Provinsie amateur-krieketspan, gebaseer in Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika. Die sosiokulturele- en taalverskille tussen die deelnemers word met behulp van teorieë wat op interkulturele kommunikasie fokus en die verskeie strategieë wat ingestel kan word om die hindernisse van interkulturele verskille binne 'n sportspan te oorkom, te ondersoek. Vir hierdie doel is die taalrepertoires van deelnemers ingesamel met behulp van taalbiografieë. Die studie ondersoek ook hoe deelnemers hul lidmaatskap tot praktyk gemeenskappe beskryf, en poog om struikelblokke in terme van die verwerwing en instandhouding van hierdie lidmaatskap te identifiseer. Die data is ontleed met die gebruik van die tematiese analise (TA) metode. In totaal het 17 lede van die Westelike Provinsie amateurkrieketspan deelgeneem in die studie, twee afrigters en 15 spelers. Hulle is sprekers van Afrikaans, Engels en isiXhosa. Vraelyste wat beide persoonlike- en taalagtergrondinligting, asook inligting oor waargenome taalvaardigheid, ontlok, is gebruik vir datainsameling. Saam met die vraelyste, is gestruktureerde onderhoude, wat daarop gemik is om inligting oor taalvoorkeure in verband met terugvoer ontvang en vlak van gemak in kommunikasie met sprekers van ander tale en van ander kulture te ontbloot, gevoer. Die vraelys- en onderhouddata het die taalvoorkeure van die deelnemers getoon, maar dit het ook getoon dat al die deelnemers toegang het tot die span se omgangstaal, wat hulle in staat stel om te verstaan en openlik te kommunikeer sonder enige misverstande. Die studie toon dat sosiokulturele- en taalverskille as hindernisse tot 'n sportspan se dinamiek en omgewing kan optree, maar ook dat hierdie hindernisse oorkom kan word om 'n suksesvolle en samehangende praktyk gemeenskap, op en van die veld af, te skep.

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This year will be the 110th since the first time that athletes ran the exact distance of 42.195 km at the Olympic Games in London, the length known today as the standard distance for a marathon. Since then, the world of distance competitions has gone through remarkable transformations in structure, vision, strategy and location. Attending distance running events is a social global phenomenon, and thousands became hundreds of thousands in terms of participation rate. Starting 1980 the sport communication research experienced an exponential growth due to fast technological changes in sport events organization and promotion channels. The aim of this current research is to study the role of strategic communication in attracting amateur runners to engage in distance races, and the concept of Intelligence-led PR and its functionality during the challenges faced by PR practitioners. The concept is part of strategic communication theory and it has a key role in the communication process due to the significant social and economic impact of these events on the participants’ life and on the local markets. The study will focus on the content and data analysis of two distance running competitions organized in 2016 in Romania. The data collection was made by conducting two interviews with the representatives of the biggest sport event organizers in Romania - Bucharest RUNNING Club Association and Media Production Group, and examining several market reports. The main conclusions of this Master thesis are that research and planning, as well as using modern communication tools and new technologies, as part of strategic communication, have helped the big sport event organizers to reach targeted audiences, form and shape public’s perception about recreational activities and engage people to participate in running competitions. Another finding is that PR Intelligence, as a concept of strategic communication, is represented by a set of knowledge that can be gained both by education and relevant practice and makes this type of communication essential for an organization becoming one of the essential managerial functions. / <p>I would like to show my gratitude for the support I received from Bucharest RUNNING Club Association and Media Production Group Romania in conducting this study. Likewise, I express my hope that this research will be a useful input to the current literature in the sport communication area and strategic communication and it will be considered as inspiration for further research, and at the same time it will bring additional knowledge to other PR practitioners.</p>

The main objective of this thesis are proposals to improve the communication mix of college hockey club Cavaliers Brno based on analysis and evaluation of current communication mix of the organization. The theoretical part describes the theoretical background associated with that issues. The second part focuses on the characteristics of the company, SWOT analysis and especially current communication mix, which covers the last part of the work developed proposals to improving the current situation.

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