Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2004 An Ethnographic Study of the Culture of Communication in the Sports Information Office in a Division I-A Athletic Program Frederick L. Battenfield Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE CULTURE OF COMMUNICATION IN THE SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE IN A DIVISION I-A ATHLETIC PROGRAM By FREDERICK L. BATTENFIELD A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management, Recreation Management and Physical Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded Summer Semester, 2004 Copyright © 2004 Frederick L. Battenfield All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the dissertation of Frederick L. Battenfield on June 15, 2004 _________________________ Aubrey Kent Professor Directing Dissertation _________________________ Davis Houck Outside Committee Member _________________________ Michael Mondello Committee Member _________________________ Cecile Reynaud Committee Member Approved: _________________________________________________ Charles Imwold, Chair, Department of Sport Management, Recreation Management and Physical Education The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii To God be the glory for great things He has done. I dedicate this dissertation to our Heavenly Father for providing me with the energy, the knowledge and the desire to complete this monumental task. Only through the power of His strength was I able to persevere through the long hours at the keyboard. The dissertation is also dedicated to the two wonderful women in my life -- my mother Mary and my loving wife Katie -- who sacrificed so much of themselves to allow me to chase this dream. I hope and pray I can return the love one day. This paper is also devoted to all sports information directors who labor in virtual obscurity while performing a difficult, yet critically important job within the intercollegiate athletic program. The next time a millionaire coach or athletic director says SID’s are the most overworked and underpaid employees in college athletics, I encourage every SID to tell them to “put their money where their mouth is.” iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When I entered Florida State University in the fall of 2000, I had virtually no idea how rigorous, yet fulfilling the pathway to the doctorate would become. Many, many individuals gave of their time, expertise and love to assist and push me through to the finish line. I am grateful to Dr. Aubrey Kent, my major professor, for providing the intellectual foundation of the dissertation. His insight, positive spirit and willingness to take on a new methodology, encouraged me greatly while developing this project. I am thankful for the many hours he invested in helping me learn a new way to study SID’s. I’d also like to thank Dr. Michael Mondello, who was my mentor and friend and also introduced me to the real world of research. Thanks for your guidance, your foresight, and most of all, for exposing me to the delights of the Moore Center. Dr. Cecile Reynaud has been a friend and volleyball compatriot for many years, and I will always be thankful for her leadership, her wit, and for her being a constant in my life whether it be at the 1996 Olympics in Athens, Georgia, or at Florida State providing the needed impetus and encouragement to ‘get it done’. I was blessed to find an adviser/friend like Dr. Davis Houck to “steer the ship” so to speak. He directed me into the world of ethnography and the enlightening discovery that what I really wanted to study was the cultural nature of the sports information director. Thanks for your humor, your insight and deep interest in the subject. My FSU ‘family’ was an indispensable component in the daily dose of fun, hilarity, and nonsense that exemplified the ‘mature groups’ student life. Special thanks to my brothers Clark Haptonstall, Sam Todd and Jim Brody (who personally carried me through stats), and to my sisters Bosmat Makover and Elfie Farchmin, and my sister in Christ, Letrice Young, who helped pray us all through this experience. iv My special thanks go to assistant athletic director/SID Rob Wilson and the sports information staff at Florida State University for their incredible devotion to our profession, and for providing background information for the pilot study and the initial stimulus for the dissertational study. The spark that ignited my fire to study SID’s was the termination of one of the nation’s best SID’s, John Humenik, by the University of Florida. I can’t say thanks for that, but that incident was the singular factor that made me realize that further scholarly study was needed on sports information directors. I also would like to thank Mark Helms and the members of my Sunday school class at Thomasville Road Baptist Church in Tallahassee, who helped pray me through many demanding moments during my tenure at FSU. God will bless you all. And finally, to Katie, Julianna and Robby … your love, patience and willingness to hear one more “it’s almost done” will be forever ingrained in my heart. Thanks for being the best family a man could ever have! v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables …………………………………………………………………………… ix List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………. x Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………….. xi INTRODUCTION …..………………………………………………………………….. 1 1. THE CULTURE OF COMMUNICATION IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS …….. 1 Problem Statement ……….………………………………………….……… 6 Theoretical Framework …………………………………………………….. 8 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ……..…………………………………………….. 14 Toward an Understanding of Culture ….………………………………….. 14 Sport Culture ……………………………...…………………………………. 21 Ethnography of Communication …………..………………………………. 24 Communication Theory ………………..…………………………………… 36 Interpersonal Communication ………………...…………………………… 34 Sports Information Directors ………………….…………………………… 41 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) .………….. 46 Theory Development in the Study of SID’s ………………….………….. 47 Role Typology Framework …………………………………….………….. 51 Variables Affecting SID Job Performance …………………….………… 54 Perceptions of SID’s by AD’s …………………………………………….. 59 3. METHODOLOGY .…….…………………………………………………………. 64 Overview ………………………..……………………….………...……….. 65 Significance of the Study ………………………………………….………. 67 The Sports Information Director ……………………………….….……... 68 Theoretical Framework ………………………………………………….… 69 An Ethnographic Study ………………………………………………….… 70 A Naturalistic Ethnography ….…………………………………………..... 72 Ethnography of Communication ……………………………………….… 76 Research Design …………………………………………………………… 81 Research Strategy ………………………………………………………… 82 Subject Selection ……………………………………………………….…. 84 Research Process …………………………………………………………… 87 The Ethnographic Record …………………………………………………... 87 Data Collection Techniques …………………………………………….…. 87 Participant Observation ………………………………………………….… 88 Interviews ………………………………………………………………….… 90 vi Interview Format …………………………………………………………… 91 Structured Interviews ……………………………………………………… 91 Unstructured Interviews ……………………………………………….….. 93 Interview Schedule …………………………………………………….…... 93 Review of Artifacts and Rituals ………………………………….…….…… 94 Data Analysis ……………………………………………………………... .. 95 Trustworthiness through Triangulation ………………………………… .. 96 Control of Bias ……………………………………………………………… 97 Ethical Concerns …………………………………………………………… 98 4. OFFICE SPACE ……………………………………………..……………… 101 Purpose of the Study ………………………………………………………. 102 Establishing a Relationship ……………………………………………….. 102 Participant Demographics .………………………………………………… 103 Physical Environment ……………………………………………………….. 104 5. VERBAL COMMUNICATION …..………………………………….……….. 110 First Signs of Communication Trouble …………………………………….. 111 Over the Wall Communication ……………………………………………… 113 Drive By Meetings …………………………………………………………… 116 Humor ………………………………………………………………………… 118 Relaxed, Informal Tone of Voice …………………………………………… 122 Mixed Communication Signals in Staff Meetings ………………………… 124 Diminished Use of the Telephone, Upswing With the Cell Phone ……… 127 Language of the Superior-Subordinate Relationship ……………………. 131 Communication Tensions and Conflicts ………………………………….… 133 6. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION ..…………………………………….… 139 Old School vs. New School …………………………………………….……. 140 Email as Communication Device ………………………………………….… 145 Worship of the PC ………………………………………………………….…. 147 Other Electronic Devices ……………………………………………………. 147 7. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION ……………………………………….… 149 Body Language, Eye Contact and Gestures ……………………………… 153 8. RITUALS AND ARTIFACTS ……………………………………………….… 157 Rituals …………………………………………………………………………. 158 The Press Box ………………………………………………………………… 158 Food in the Press Box ………………………………………………………… 166 Artifacts ……………………………………………………………………..…. 168 vii Conflict Between Paper Culture and Electronic Technology ……….…….. 179 Laboring in Anonymity ………………………………………………..……….. 185 9. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ..……………………………..……………188 APPENDIX A …….………………………………………………………………… INTERVIEW SCHEDULE………..………………………………………… 205 APPENDIX B ……………………………………………………………………….. HUMAN SUBJECTS APPROVAL AND INFORMED CONSENT FORMS .208 REFERENCES …..…..……………………………………………………………… 210 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH …………………………………………………………. 221 viii LIST OF TABLES 1. The SID Benchmark Profile, SID Demographics …………………………… 54 2. SID Time Spent on Job Responsibilities …………………………………….. 54 3. SID Concerns about Intercollegiate