Publishing for Paydirt: Analyzing How Messages About Big-Time College Football
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Publishing for Paydirt: Analyzing How Messages About Big-Time College Football Reinforce Power A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Molly Yanity May 2013 © 2013 Molly Yanity. All Rights Reserved. This dissertation titled Publishing for Paydirt: Analyzing How Messages About Big-Time College Football Reinforce Power by MOLLY YANITY has been approved for the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism and the Scripps College of Communication by Aimee C. Edmondson Assistant Professor of Journalism Scott Titsworth Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii ABSTRACT YANITY, MOLLY, Ph.D., May 2013, Journalism Publishing for Paydirt: Analyzing How Messages About Big-Time College Football Reinforce Power Director of Dissertation: Aimee C. Edmondson College athletic departments are expanding a trend of hiring professional journalists to improve their content and grow their audiences. This positioning of the professional journalist in the arena he used to cover creates unique dynamics for the professional journalist, for the department, and for the audience. This dissertation adds to the literature by identifying the dynamics, roles, and routines of an athletic department communication worker at a major athletic conference university. It examines how those dynamics, roles, and routines influence content for the department’s website and how this content upholds the athletic department’s position of political and economic power in its geographical region and sustains the cultural hegemony of college football. I employed a month-long observation prior to and at the start of the 2012 University of Washington Huskies football season. A mixed-methods approach generated ample empirical data as collection procedures included participant observation, unstructured interviews, and document review. The results of this dissertation find the athletic department communication worker negotiating three roles: The roles of “Traditional Journalist,” of “PR Practitioner,” and of “Subordinate.” This structure ultimately is utilized to exploit college football players, to place material interests ahead of human interests, and to maintain and strengthen the cultural hegemony of big-time college football. iii To Blair & Quinn Haines, May you always be one step ahead of the game iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks are simply not enough to offer to Gregg Bell, whose unfettered access and honesty were paramount to my undertaking and completing this project. Bell is a great professional, a phenomenal writer, and a class act. The University of Washington is lucky to have him as he attempts to bring journalistic credibility to an arena that does not seem to want it. I am thankful to the staff of the University of Washington Department of Athletics, namely the Athletics Communications personnel who sat down for interviews and also granted me behind-the-scenes access to news conferences, practices, and a game. Casey Caldwell and Jessica Haney provided me with a home away from home (and after-work cocktails) during my fieldwork. They always make me smile and are truly friends for life. My sincere thanks go out to all my friends and former colleagues in Seattle for their cooperation, assistance, support, and love. My Ohio University family has its fingerprints all over this dissertation and, as such, on me. Dr. Aimee Edmondson, my chair and friend, not only guided me through the planning and writing stages, she is also single-handedly responsible for getting me to stick around in the first place. My committee members – Drs. Courtney E. Cole , B. David Ridpath, and Michael S. Sweeney – taught me so much over the last four years. Their experience and knowledge – and willingness to share both – make them amazing teachers. And though they are not on any official committee or hold special titles concerning this dissertation, Drs. Julie White, Susan Burgess, and Judith Grant of Ohio University’s Department of Political Science may have been the greatest influences on my graduate school experience. I can only hope to be half as smart – and as wholly accessible – as these classy ladies. I have learned so much from my colleagues and v friends at Ohio University, namely Drs. Sally Ann Cruikshank and Edgar Simpson, as well as Isaac Abram, Lindsay Boyle, Kris Grey, Janie Henderson, and Lance Poston. Finally, Dr. Ashley D. Furrow deserves all kinds of acknowledgement – more than these two sentences can convey. The triumphs, heartbreaks, tears, laughter, and bottles of wine we have shared will always be appreciated and never forgotten. Cheers and good luck, my friend. My parents, Joe and Deeder Yanity, took great care of me during my return trip to Athens, Ohio. I am so thankful for and fortunate to have their love and endless support. I also thank my siblings and their spouses – Joe Yanity IV & Kurt Harmon, and Mary & Brian Haines – for all the dinners, drinks, lunches, long talks, laughs, and everything else about family that cannot be substituted. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... v List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Introduction: Charging Out of the Tunnel .......................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Game Plan .................................................................................................. 7 The Political Economy & Marxism ................................................................................ 8 Neo-Marxist critiques & the Media .............................................................................. 10 Public Relations ............................................................................................................ 11 The Sport/Media Complex ............................................................................................ 13 The Playing Field: The College Football Landscape .................................................... 14 The Playing Field: The University of Washington ....................................................... 16 Methods ........................................................................................................................ 16 Chapter 2: The Game Plan ................................................................................................ 21 Chapter 3: The Content ..................................................................................................... 33 Chapter 4: The Game ........................................................................................................ 48 Bell as Traditional Journalist ........................................................................................ 49 Bell as PR Practitioner .................................................................................................. 60 Bell as Subordinate ....................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 5: The Winners & The Losers ............................................................................. 70 The Winners .................................................................................................................. 71 The Losers ..................................................................................................................... 82 Conclusion: The Postgame Wrap-Up ............................................................................... 90 References ......................................................................................................................... 96 Appendix A: Strategic Communications Plan ................................................................ 106 vii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Map of Western Washington ..........................................................................22 Figure 2: Photo of the University of Washington ...........................................................23 Figure 3: Gregg Bell at Practice ......................................................................................52 viii INTRODUCTION: CHARGING OUT OF THE TUNNEL “Sports have a vice-like grip on the emotions of the American people. … The sportsworld more than any other phenomenon dominates the consciousness and everyday lives of millions of Americans.” – Richard Lipsky, 1981, p. 61 Sport is powerful. We know this because we see sport’s influence and its reach all around us. We know this because we recognize the pervasiveness of the ever-present sports media, because we witness stadiums and arenas across the country filled with people, and because we identify “the cultural artifacts of everyday life that draw their inspiration from sports” (Jhally, 1984, p. 41). In Seattle, Washington – as around the industrialized world – sport is powerful. In Seattle, the sport that is king is University of Washington (UW) Huskies football. We can see the power and influence in UW football in the resources provided it. For example, the state’s highest paid individual public employee – by $1.3 million – is Huskies football coach Steve Sarkisian, who in 2011 earned $2,529,168 (“Washington State Salary Database,” 2012). Six Saturdays a year,