Papers by Stephen Dittmore
Journal of Sports Media, 2017
The availability of live sports content on television has reached an all-time high, with the prol... more The availability of live sports content on television has reached an all-time high, with the proliferation of dozens of regional sports networks (RSNs). Sports networks charge individual subscriber fees, anywhere from 20 cents to more than $8.00 per month, and frequently negotiate carriage agreements with multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) to receive those fees. Since 2010, the independently operated Tennis Channel has fought to gain broad-based carriage from Comcast Cable Corporation, the nation's largest MVPD. Using a political economy of media framework, the purpose of this paper is to examine court and regulatory fi lings to understand how an independent RSN positions itself against the established MediaSport complex and the oligopolistic power concentrated with a select few media companies.
Identifying Influential Users of College Sports Teams' Social Media Accounts
Journal of the Korea Academia Industrial Cooperation Society, Feb 28, 2015
International Journal of Sport Communication, Sep 1, 2012
The growth of the Web has had a tremendous impact on how information is disseminated and shared a... more The growth of the Web has had a tremendous impact on how information is disseminated and shared about sports. Research has shown that consumers use media to satisfy a variety of needs and desires, has examined online sport media consumption, and the use of online sport media. But there has been no examination of the motivating factors behind subscription based online media, in particular, paid content sites and message boards. This study explored the relationships of motives, perceived value, and hours in usage per week. Five motives were verified through a confirmatory factor analysis. An examination of the usage characteristics of the respondents demonstrates a loyal and active user. This is important for the site administrators in that the subscribers are using the site as a "go to" destination and not merely something to peruse during their leisure time. The site is acting as an entry point onto the Web.
International Journal of Sport Communication, Sep 1, 2009
This study used second-level agenda-setting and agenda-building theory as a framework for investi... more This study used second-level agenda-setting and agenda-building theory as a framework for investigating media coverage of the NFL Network carriage dispute and how NFL and cable operators attempted to frame this issue via their respective public relations efforts. National, regional, and trade media stories over a 2-year period were content analyzed along with corporate press releases. Results indicated that the NFL and cable operators in particular were framed negatively in media coverage. However, the percentage of positive media stories was much higher for the NFL than for the cable operators. The findings suggest that initially the NFL was more effective in having its messages resonate with the media than were the cable operators. As the issue evolved over time and fans were faced with the prospect of missing key games, the media framing of the debate shifted the blame from the cable companies to both cable operators and the NFL.
Examining Fairness Perceptions of Financial Resource Allocations in U.S. Olympic Sport
Journal of Sport Management, Jul 1, 2009
Use of an Organizational Weblog in Relationship Building: The Case of a Major League Baseball Team
International Journal of Sport Communication, Sep 1, 2008
This case study explores the use a Major League Baseball team’s organizational weblog. Organizati... more This case study explores the use a Major League Baseball team’s organizational weblog. Organizational weblogs are forums for the 2-way exchange of information and commentary between an organization and its publics. Most sport organizations, however, have yet to embrace the weblog as a form of organizational communication. Recent research suggests a greater need to understand how sport organizations might use weblogs to outreach to target audiences from a communications perspective. This study assesses whether readers perceive an organization’s official weblog to be an effective form of 2-way communication and profiles the readers of an organizational weblog based on demographics, consumption patterns, and points of attachment. Results showed that readers perceived the organizational weblog to be highly conversational and effective at communicating organizational commitment. In addition, readers were voracious media consumers of the team’s games, repeat ticket customers, and highly identified, both with the sport and with the team.
Sports Marketing and New Media
Routledge eBooks, Feb 17, 2015
Content, Copyright, And Carriage
Routledge eBooks, Mar 20, 2013
Motivation for following College Sports Teams' Social Media Accounts
Journal of the Korea Academia Industrial Cooperation Society, Nov 30, 2014
Points of attachment on social media: exploring similarities and differences between Chinese and Western National Basketball Association fans
Asia Pacific Journal of Sport and Social Science, Apr 4, 2017
Abstract Given the availability and usage of Twitter, professional sport organizations attempt to... more Abstract Given the availability and usage of Twitter, professional sport organizations attempt to embrace this emerging medium to engage with sports fans around the world. While many sports fans use Twitter globally, Chinese sports fans primarily embrace localized social media platforms, such as Weibo, to follow their favourite teams because many international mainstream social media services are banned in China. This study aimed to investigate the similarities and differences between Chinese National Basketball Association (NBA) fans and Western NBA fans in terms of their social media usage and points of attachment to a team with a global presence. The results revealed that Chinese digital NBA fans expressed higher dependence on using social media in their daily life compared to Western counterparts. In terms of sports fans’ points of attachment, Chinese NBA fans had higher associations with basketball, NBA players, and the NBA than Western counterparts, while Western fans perceived a higher attachment to the team.
How Mediated Sporting Events Constitute Nationalism: Chinese Newspapers Covering the 2014 Incheon Asian Games
International Journal of Sport Communication, Mar 1, 2016
Informed by framing theory, the study strove to investigate nationalism by examining Chinese news... more Informed by framing theory, the study strove to investigate nationalism by examining Chinese newspaper coverage of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Through document and textual analysis of 324 articles from 5 mainstream newspapers, the study indicated that Chinese newspapers always portrayed Chinese athletes as “dominating the competition” and “lacking opponents in Asia” while portraying other countries’ athletes as “less competitive” and not at the “level of Chinese athletes.” The results also suggested that Chinese newspapers tried to positively spin the story when reporting the failure of Chinese athletes at the Asian Games. However, to increase readership and enhance public awareness of the Asian Games,Chinese newspapers also attempted to created rivalries between Chinese athletes and competing nations and, at times, emphasized national failures.
Kasetsart journal of social sciences, Sep 1, 2016
Internet addiction among adolescents has become a major social problem. Thus, more effective Inte... more Internet addiction among adolescents has become a major social problem. Thus, more effective Internet addiction treatment programs through sports are required. This study tried to identify the relationship among sports participation, self-control, and Internet addiction among Korean adolescents. In total, 345 students (aged 15e18 years) from two middle schools and two high schools in South Korea were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). SEM indicated a significant effect of sports participation on Internet addiction mediated by self-control. The results suggest the effectiveness of and need for sport and physical activity in Internet addiction treatment programs and for other addictions as well. Moreover, sports participation has a wider variety of psychological and physical benefits unlike intervention strategies or pharmacological treatments. Thus, the adoption of sports needs to be broadened from physical development to treating diverse psychological problems among adolescents.
Sport Management Review, Jul 1, 2019
Social media platforms provide a space where sport fans can interact directly with sport organiza... more Social media platforms provide a space where sport fans can interact directly with sport organizations; however, researchers have not empirically examined users' motivation and usage. Guided by uses and gratifications theory, the authors explored whether social media users' motivations differed when following a sport organization on two similar microblogging services: Twitter and Weibo. Data gathered from an online survey of users who followed the Los Angeles Lakers on both Twitter (n = 299) and Weibo (n = 796) were analyzed using the Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes model. Findings showed that Weibo users had higher motives for obtaining information, entertainment, technical knowledge, passing time, and escaping from their life than Twitter users, while Twitter followers had higher motivations to express team support than their Weibo counterparts. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis suggested that Weibo users had high motives in information gathering and expressing team support, and they also tended to be more interactive. Twitter users were more interested in interacting with a sport organization if their motives for obtaining entertainment information and technical information were met. Results of this study will assist sport organizations to learn to understand users' motives for following a sports team in both China and America and then develop more effective strategies to engage these users in these two main markets.
Sport Management Review, Apr 1, 2010
Organizational justice examines the role of fairness, and particularly perceptions of fairness, i... more Organizational justice examines the role of fairness, and particularly perceptions of fairness, in the workplace (Greenberg, 1990). While research on organizational justice in sport management settings began about 15 years ago (Hums & Chelladurai, 1994a), research on equity and fairness has been conducted for much longer (Greenberg, 1990). Early researchers, such as Homans (1961) and Adams (1965), were interested in fairness in a variety of social interactions and did not focus on organizations specifically (Greenberg, 1990). However, the possible implications of fairness perceptions for organizations became clear, and a considerable amount of research has focused on the organizational setting, leading to the label of organizational justice for this line of research (Greenberg, 1987). The topic continues to be important because research has provided evidence of connections between organizational justice perceptions and job performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behaviors, and trust (e.g., Colquitt, 2001; Cropanzano, Rupp, Mohler, & Schminke, 2001). This research review paper will first provide a brief history of the general fairness and organizational justice literature before conducting a more detailed examination of the sport management specific research (dichotomized into studies of distributive justice and studies beyond distributive justice). The paper will then present suggestions for future research on organizational justice in sport management.
How mediated sporting events constitute nationalism?The case of Chinese newspapers
International Journal of Sport Communication, 2016
Informed by framing theory, the study strove to investigate nationalism by examining Chinese news... more Informed by framing theory, the study strove to investigate nationalism by examining Chinese newspaper coverage of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Through document and textual analysis of 324 articles from 5 mainstream newspapers, the study indicated that Chinese newspapers always portrayed Chinese athletes as “dominating the competition” and “lacking opponents in Asia” while portraying other countries’ athletes as “less competitive” and not at the “level of Chinese athletes.” The results also suggested that Chinese newspapers tried to positively spin the story when reporting the failure of Chinese athletes at the Asian Games. However, to increase readership and enhance public awareness of the Asian Games,Chinese newspapers also attempted to created rivalries between Chinese athletes and competing nations and, at times, emphasized national failures.
Exploring Different Perceptions of Coach-Athlete Relationship
International Journal of Coaching Science, Jul 1, 2015
The study aimed to investigate how Chinese Olympians’ coach-athlete relationships differ from a c... more The study aimed to investigate how Chinese Olympians’ coach-athlete relationships differ from a convenience sample of Western Olympians within the context of the interpersonal constructs of Closeness, Co-orientation, and Complementary (three Cs). A total of 12 Olympians, including six Chinese Olympians and six Western Olympians, were invited to participate to this study. All participants had won medals at either World Championships or Olympic Games in their sports. A semi-structured interview was conducted with five open-ended questions about their coach-athlete relationships. Content analysis revealed Chinese Olympians have higher satisfaction than selected Western Olympians in terms of the commitment of coach and dedication of time of their coaches. Western athletes described the relationship as a partnership, but Chinese Olympians described the relationship as paternal. In addition, Chinese athletes were dominated in dyadic relationships since their personal lives were controlled by their coaches, while Western athletes were given more freedom and democracy by their coaches. With respect to gender, female athletes tended to train with male coaches but male athletes were more concerned with a coach’s knowledge rather than their gender. The study also indicated that athletes were more sensitive when they were in different gender coach-athlete relationships than in same gender relationships.
Is sport management research diverse? A five-year analysis of dissertations
An academic directory and search engine.
Sport public relations : managing organizational communication
Human Kinetics eBooks, 2006
... They include William Anderson, Ted Ayres, George Babish, Jeff Cravens, Mark Eby, Murray Evans... more ... They include William Anderson, Ted Ayres, George Babish, Jeff Cravens, Mark Eby, Murray Evans, Janet Fulgham, Mitch Germann, Gary Guehler, Mary Jo Haverbeck, Kathleen Hessert, Rima Katorji, Tom Kelly, Jason West, Ed Wisneski, Chris Wyche, and Frank Zang. ...
Sports Programming as a Public Good: A Complicated Congressional Legacy
For Better or for Worse The Impact of Social Media on Chinese-2015-Li.pdf
The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of social media in Chinese sports journalism. ... more The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of social media in Chinese sports journalism. After distributing an online survey using a snowball sampling technique, a total of 133 Chinese sports journalists working in print media participated in this study. The results indicated that news gathering was reported as a primary motivation to use social media. Weibo and WeChat, two localized social networking tools, were the most commonly used tools among participants. Nearly half of participating sports journalists admitted that monitoring information on social media increased their pressure level and created workloads. The majority of sports journalists believed social media had weakened their gatekeeping role due to the increase in citizen journalists and the increase in channels and sources that users obtain news and information. The study also found that the relationship between journalists and athletes has also been altered with the advent of social media. 1 Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA 2 Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia Corresponding Author: Bo Li, Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA. Email: boli@email.uark.edu Communication & Sport 1-20 a The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/2167479515617279 com.sagepub.com by guest on December 1, 2015 com.sagepub.com Downloaded from
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Papers by Stephen Dittmore