Reading 3.2 Toby Miller, Geoffrey Lawrence, Jim Mckay and David
94 D170 This sporting planet Reading 3.2 Toby Miller,GeoffreyLawrence, Jim McKay and David Rowe, ‘ Sports media sans frontières’ God wore number 23. ( De Morgen,Belgium) The ‘ Michelangelo’ of sportshoes will not return. ( Faz,Germany) His royalAirness will never fly again. ( Telegraaf,The Netherlands) God is going home. ( Yedioth Ahrnonoth,Israel) [B]asketball is alone. ( La Repubblica,Italy) The King is Leaving. ( Sport,Spain) Earthquake. ( El Mundo Deportivo,Spain) Amyththat has gone beyond sports. ( El Periodico,Spain) Tell us it is not true. ( El Pais,Spain) [H]e’ sthe greatest.(Herald Sun,Australia) King MikeAbdicates. ( Age,Australia) God will never fly again. ( Asahi Shimbun,Japan) God finally to retire. ( Tochu Sports,Jordan) [His] nameisengraved on theheartofeveryone. ( Beijing Morning Post,China) Año Uno D. De J. [Year One After Jordan]. ( Ole,Argentina) (quoted in ‘ The World Bids’ ,1999) Theseresponses to Michael Jordan’ sretirement testify to three things – his exceptional athletic ability, thesuccess of Nikeworldwide, and the spread of theNBA acrossTVscreens: Rafaga NBA in Mexico, La Magia de la NBA in Argentina, Give Me Five in Belgium, NBAMania in Japan, NBAJam in Taiwan, and Zou Jin in thePRC (Andrews, 1999: 508).Just as Nikeand theNBA built their strategies forgrowtharound Jordan, so his career can only be understood in terms of thoseinstitutions. While this is perhaps themost spectacular instance of themedia– sports link, TV in particular is inseparable fromglobal sport, as bothamarker of globalization and one of its prime movers. IOC official historymarksthe Olympics in terms of broadcast revenues – atotal of US$1.25 billion forthe 2000 and 2002Games – and their status as ‘ asocial, even sociological event, whichmore or less reflects thestate of theworld’ (Macleod, 1996: 23; Verdier,1996: 34).
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