Why media affect sports personality
Answers
The “media” is an extremely broad category of things, from radio programs, television programs, to variety shows, documentaries, educational programs, magazines, radio commentaries, etc. So many “products” are produced and shared by the media with the public at large. Influencing public opinion, using any one or more of these products is relatively easy because of how powerful they are. Most people who see, hear or read something in the media accept this as one hundred percent true. They forget that each item is produced by someone who may have a slight (or not so slight) bias towards/against the topic. How would you react to a news item about a sports personality spending a lot of time doing good deeds at a charity event? What if there is another individual who does twice as much and donates most of his/her salary but this person is never highlighted in the media because he/she does not try to get coverage for their good deeds? How would you react if you heard a report that a local sports personality had personally gone to a local university or grade school to meet the kids and inspire them towards greater physical fitness? What if another had actually donated the money to build a new arena, without asking for any recognition? How do you react to seeing many images of the same individual, focusing on his/her great achievements in their sport? Would you start viewing this person as one of the best or would you check his/her statistics and compare them to others to see if there are others who are better? The media control the message being displayed and shared and unless the audience is willing to do its own research and see beyond the printed (or aired) word, they will accept the image being shown. Here’s a perfect example. Let’s say a favourite sports personality has been accused of beating his/her partner but the national newspaper of the country, which is owned by the same company that owns the sports team, decides not to share this information. This might influence people to continue thinking positively about an individual they do not have a balanced and fair picture of… do these examples help illustrate how media can influence the public’s positive perception of sports personalities?