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An analysis of how messages about big-time college football reinforce power

Yanity, Molly

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Mass Communication (Communication).
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.
Aimee Edmondson, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Courtney Cole, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
B. David Ridpath, Ed.D. (Committee Member)
Michael Sweeney, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
149 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Yanity, M. (2013). An analysis of how messages about big-time college football reinforce power [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1365178005

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Yanity, Molly. An analysis of how messages about big-time college football reinforce power. 2013. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1365178005.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Yanity, Molly. "An analysis of how messages about big-time college football reinforce power." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1365178005

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)