Past The 'Keeper

With the constantly-expanding world of brand-spankin’-new innovations, the internet has created new platforms for journalists all over the world to express their voice and opinion on anything they please. For example, with the explosion of sports networks (“ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS College Sports, the Big Ten Network”), there are specific jobs within each network for sports communication professionals. And as print news is dying out, this is a major boost for all of us journalists out there.

“In 1995, only 15% of adults in the US used the Internet (Mills, 2010). Pew Research has found that in 2009, 74% of this same group used the Internet.”

So many resources contribute to this growing statistic, like our PC’s, laptops and now our smart phones. Of course nothing regarding new technologies could be talked about without mentioning Facebook and Twitter! These two resources have allowed the fans to bypass sports writers for information, as you can see everything that’s on your favorite athlete’s mind straight from his mouth! (or at least straight from his hands that are typing his updated status!)

One thing mentioned in the chapter that caught my attention as being quite interesting was that Kevin Love, the current star forward on the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves,  had tweeted to his followers that his coach, Kevin McHale had been fired. But this news had not been announced by the organization yet. While, there clearly are some things that need to be fixed regarding the way athletes make statements that may not be accurate, their relationships with Twitter still offer so much in the world of online sports news.

“Shaq’s tweets have become popular and as of February 2010 he had more than 2.8 million followers on Twitter.”

NBA player Twitter info is linked to the NBA.com website so fans can see some of the best NBA “Tweeters” and follow them from the league’s website.

With the introduction of cell phones as being an integral part of interactivity within the sports world, readers are able to connect with their favorite sports writers easily and feel — you guess it — interactive! People can call in talk shows to speak with the host and the host can also send e-mails or text messages to people to set up an interview, meeting, etc.

“Camera technology has also enhanced the viewing experience.”

Networks have placed cameras in places all over the arena’s to create a better experience for its viewers. They make you feel as if you are in the action rather just a spectator watching. Also, 3D TV and HD TV are creating a much more expanding technology industry to keep fans feeling like a part of the action. For example, ” the 2010 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four was broadcast not only in high definition (HD) but also in 3D.” The expanding movement has created more room for networks to be offered by satellite, telcos, and cable operators.

“The NCAA men’s basketball championship has been streamed online in a partnership with CBS and the NCAA since 2003.”

Something that I have been into for a while now and that was talked about in this chapter was the new development in “streaming video.” I am an avid user of ESPN360, ESPN’s streaming coverage of live games in all different of sports. This makes it so much easier for the fans, who do not get games in their local area, to watch games from around the world live on their computers. It really is amazing!

Dan Steinberg, a blogger for the Washington Post, uses Twitter to get lots of information across to his followers regarding Washington, D.C. pro sports teams, including an occasional podcast about the Washington Redskins. How important is Twitter even for journalists in today’s society? Check out what Steinberg said in the chapter about one of the Twitter apps he uses:

“I have a Twitter app called “UberTwitter” that refreshes my Twitter feed every 10 minutes. I receive updates of any new Tweets from those fellow Twitterers that I follow.”

There you have it! Even the journalists themselves need to use these new and emerging technologies to stay updated on everything happening in today’s world! Things are changing so quickly that an hourly update isn’t even enough to stay connected with the news. It’s a minute-by-minute thing!

Another thing that was really interesting was his answer to a question about how the use of Twitter led to a story on his blog:

“One great example occurred during a preseason game. Ladell Betts went out on the field with a jersey that spelled his name “Bettis” like the retired running back from the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was at the game in the press box and wanted to have one of the Washington Post photographers take a picture of his jersey for my blog. I could not reach the photographer, so I tweeted all of my followers on Twitter and asked someone to take a picture of the jersey and send the picture to me. I received about 20 tweets and many of the pictures were surprisingly good.”

So, thanks to the continuing new media in today’s world for keeping us up to speed as the print news dies day-by-day. The world is evolving and so are the many ways to receive news. Improving communication skills is the only way to be certain that you can make it as a journalist nowadays. Engage your readers and “retain your audience” to ensure the wellbeing of your journalism self. But one question still remains: Will Twitter, Facebook and blogs be able to produce stories with the same abilities of those in newspapers and magazines? Only time will tell.

Maureen Nasser, the GMU athletic department’s Director of Communication and Public Relations since 2003, visited our Comm371 class Thursday, February 3rd. She really, really interested me with what she said. As a die-hard Washington Wizards fan, it was great to hear first-hand from someone who worked within the organization and played a huge role with the team.

Some things I learned from her:

• When she first began with the then-Bullets, Maureen’s job was way less muti-dimensional than it is today. (Clearly, with the way the internet and the writing has boomed over the recent years!)
• She explained how when she was with the Bullets/Wizards, the press needed to call her for information regarding the visiting team because there was no internet back then in 1988. Nowadays, these same people can just make a few clicks on their computer and bam. Everything (and more) that they need to know is right there for them.

Oh yeah, she also made reference to the fact that the Bullets/Wizards only made the playoffs once in her 13 years with the team. Well, nothing’s changed from back then to now!

Maureen got into how her job has changed with the new up-to-the-second style of news:

• You have to be real quick with getting information out to the press and/or the public. No more relaxation period! In the past you could take your time to get things finished about a game but not anymore.

I was on-hand at the Patriot Center writing about the men’s basketball game vs. the Towson Tigers for Connect2Mason.com. Towson was unable to get to the game on time, thus forcing the game to be postponed until the next day. I certainly was a bit bothered by their inability to show up and wondered how the fans would find out about it. Here’s how:

• Maureen and her staff used Twitter and Facebook to reach out to the Mason basketball fans to inform them that the game would be delayed, canceled, then postponed until the next day. It was a difficult time for her with all the news swirling around and what would happen with the game. Luckily, it got resolved pretty quickly.

Also, when asked about how The Washington Post looks for articles and why there isn’t many stories written about sports teams doing well besides basketball, I was very interested with what she said:

• The main thing is finding a story to write about. While lesser-known sports teams may be playing well and doing good, if there isn’t anything extremely interesting with a member of the team or something that will catch the attention of readers, there most likely won’t be anything written about them.

The example she used was that The Washington Post is coming out with a story on Mason’s forward on the basketball team, Ryan Pearson because he’s been doing well, the team’s been doing well, and this has all happened despite being hit by a car when he was 11 years old. That’s interesting, right? That’s why there will be a story on him.

Thank you to Maureen for stopping by our class! Everything we learned was very valuable information.