JOUR 350: Introduction to Sports Media
4 units
Fall 2017 – Tuesdays – 2-5:20 p.m.
Section: 21179
Location: ASC G34
Instructor: Alan Abrahamson
Office: ASC G21D
Office Hours: 12:45-1:30 p.m. Tuesdays, or by appointment
Email: ayabraha@usc.edu
Office phone: 213-821-5398
Cell phone: 310-658-0505
I. Course Description
Virtually all professional, and increasingly much of amateur, sport goes out across a diverse range of platforms. The point is to engage fans and consumers. All this is obvious.
The past few years have also brought another obvious change: the broader if not wrenching transformations influencing media – including, of course, media that are part and parcel of the sports landscape.
Traditional platforms, print and broadcast, are being required to revisit both the way they produce and deliver content. Even the largest organizations are hardly immune.
Each league, each new season, produces a tremendous amount of content. This gusher of content creates new challenges for journalistic norms and storytelling techniques – highlighting how leagues, teams, players and coaches are simultaneously independent and interdependent brands.
This course introduces students to a range of professional settings and challenges related to the growth of sports media. Students will be exposed to the opportunities and constraints posed by the distinct roles of reporters, fans, players, publicist, agents, team and league officials. Students also will be exposed to the norms and routines of a wide range of forms of sports media content creation; these will include but not be limited to print, broadcast, video, radio/audio, interviews and the long-form narrative.
The course is designed as a first experience to the broader settings of sports media. Students are encouraged to continue this scholarship in one of the university’s advanced courses related to sports media and business.
II. Overall Learning Objectives and Assessment
Students will become familiar with the structural dimensions of different sports media platforms, including print, broadcast, social media, etc.
Students will be exposed to common reporting and storytelling routines for sports reporters
Students will develop an understanding of significant trends in sports media platforms
III. Description of Assignments
Papers – (70 percent total). Students will be assessed on two (2) writing assignments that demonstrate ability to apply understanding of course concepts. Each paper will be carefully assessed based on journalistic standards of professional writing (see section below on grading standards). The first paper, the media analysis, will require students to detail how transformations in media industries are influencing sports media. The second offers the opportunity to produce sports content of the sort available in mainstream or specialty outlets.
Exam – (20 percent total). Students will be assessed on a final examination.
Participation (10 percent total) – Students are expected to attend class. They are expected to read the assigned readings. They are expected to take part in class. Students will be evaluated on these factors.
IV. Grading
a. Breakdown of Grade
Assignment
|
Points
|
% of Grade
|
Paper 1 – Media analysis (week 8)
|
100
|
40%
|
Paper 2 – Content creation (week 12)
|
100
|
30%
|
Final exam
|
100
|
20%
|
Participation
|
100
|
10%
|
TOTAL
|
|
100%
|
b. Grading Scale
95 to 100: A
|
70 to less than 75: C+
|
45 to less than 50: D-
|
90 to less than 95: A-
|
65 to less than 70: C
|
0 to less than 45: F
|
85 to less than 90: B+
|
60 to less than 65: C-
|
|
80 to less than 85: B
|
55 to less than 60: D+
|
|
75 to less than 80: B-
|
50 to less than 55: D
|
|
c. Grading Standards
All assignments will be edited on a professional basis. Students will be judged first on the accuracy, fairness and objectivity of stories and the ability to meet deadlines. Students will then be evaluated for style, editing, production value and originality.
For emphasis:
1. Students will be judged on the ability to meet deadlines.
2. All papers must be filed in Microsoft Word.
“A” stories are accurate, clear, comprehensive stories that are well written and require only minor copyediting (i.e., they would be aired or published). Video work must also be shot and edited creatively, be well paced and include good sound bites and natural sound that add flavor, color or emotion to the story.
“B” stories require more than minor editing and have a few style or spelling errors or one significant error of omission. For video, there may be minor flaws in the composition of some shots or in the editing. Good use of available sound bites is required.
“C” stories need considerable editing or rewriting and/or have many spelling, style or omission errors. Camera work and editing techniques in video stories are mediocre or unimaginative, but passable. Sound bites add little or no color - only information that could be better told in the reporter’s narration.
“D” stories require excessive rewriting, have numerous errors and should not have been submitted. Camera work is unsatisfactory or fails to show important elements.
“F” stories have failed to meet the major criteria of the assignment, are late, have numerous errors or both. Your copy should not contain major errors in spelling, style or grammar. Also, this essential reminder in regard to facts: accuracy is the first law of journalism.
The following are some other circumstances that would warrant a grade of “F” and potential USC/Annenberg disciplinary action:
• Fabricating a story or making up quotes or information.
• Plagiarizing a script/article, part of a script/article or information from any source.
• Staging video or telling interview subjects what to say.
• Using video shot by someone else and presenting it as original work.
• Shooting video in one location and presenting it as another location.
• Using the camcorder to intentionally intimidate, provoke or incite a person or a group of people to elicit more “dramatic” video.
• Promising, paying or giving someone something in exchange for doing an interview either on or off camera.
• Missing a deadline.
V. Assignment Submission Policy
All assignments are due on the dates specified. Lacking prior discussion and agreement with the instructor, late assignments will automatically be given a grade of F.
Assignments must be submitted via Blackboard.
VI. Cellular Phone/Social Media Policy as it relates to class
This is the instructor’s seventh year at the university. It is his first year teaching undergraduates.
For the prior six years, the instructor’s graduate-school classes have been successfully run according to an off-the-record policy. For those not familiar with journalism basics: off-the-record will be defined in this context elementally. It means not for repetition, republication, rebroadcast or reattribution elsewhere. Like the famous saying about Vegas, it means that what happens in class stays in class.
Example: Someone says something in class. If you, a student, post what that someone says on social media, that violates the off-the-record nature of class.
The point is not that anything untoward is happening in class. Just the opposite. By keeping matters in class off-the-record, the instructor believes it fosters an environment in which a student can feel free to ask what’s on her or his mind – without fear of embarrassment by, for instance, having a question memorialized for eternity on social media.
There is no such thing as a dumb question. School is for learning.
To that end, JOUR 350 is intended in every regard to be off-the-record. This requires not only agreement but compliance from each and every one of you. This fall 2017 JOUR 350 will be the first JOUR 350. It is the instructor’s sincere hope that the same level of good faith and conduct that has marked his graduate school courses will hold throughout the undergraduate JOUR 350 experience as well.
VII. Required Readings and Supplementary Materials
Several books will be assigned in part or in their entirety:
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-year friendship On and Off the Court. New York. Grand Central Publishing, 2017.
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010.
Earnheardt, Adam C. The ESPN Effect: Exploring the Worldwide Leader in Sports. New York: Peter Lang, 2015.
Schultz, Brad, and Ed Arke. Sports Media: Reporting, Producing and Planning. 3rd ed. New York: Focal (Taylor and Francis), 2016.
Vogan, Travis. ESPN: The Making of a Sports Media Empire. Urbana: U of Illinois, 2015.
Vogan, Travis. Keepers of the Flame: NFL Films and the Rise of Sports Media. Urban: U of Illinois, 2014.
In addition to those these texts, additional readings will be assigned. They are listed on the daily schedule and will be available through the course blackboard site.
Moreover, this is a class about sports and sports media. Students will be expected to stay current with what’s happening in the wide world of sports. It should go without saying that fall semester brings both the World Series in baseball as well as college and pro football season. Students will be expected to keep up. Read the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, ESPN.com or whatever outlet you wish. But read.
VIII. Laptop Policy
All undergraduate and graduate Annenberg majors and minors are required to have a PC or Apple laptop that can be used in Annenberg classes. Please refer to the Annenberg Digital Lounge for more information. To connect to USC’s Secure Wireless network, please visit USC’s Information Technology Services website.
Add/Drop Dates for Session 001 (15 weeks: 8/21/17 – 12/1/17)
Friday, September 8: Last day to register and add classes for Session 001
Friday, September 8: Last day to drop a class without a mark of “W,” except for Monday-only classes, and receive a refund for Session 001
Tuesday, September 12: Last day to drop a Monday-only class without a mark of “W” and receive a refund for Session 001
Friday, October 6: Last day to drop a course without a mark of “W” on the transcript for Session 001. [Please drop any course by the end of week three (or the 20 percent mark of the session) to avoid tuition charges.]
Friday, October 6: Last day to change pass/no pass to letter grade for Session 001. [All major and minor courses must be taken for a letter grade.]
Friday, November 10: Last day to drop a class with a mark of “W” for Session 001
IX. Course Schedule
Important note to students: The instructor is a working sports writer. This syllabus is subject to change - and probably will change - based on the progress of the class, news events and/or the availability of guest speakers.
Unit 1 – Introduction to the Landscape of Sports Media Class # 1 – Tues., Aug. 22 – Introduction to Sports Media and the Course
Readings:
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 1, “Introduction” pp. 1-16
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/sports/basketball/sure-hes-good-at-basketball-but-how-are-his-twitter-skills.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-year friendship On and Off the Court. New York. Grand Central Publishing, 2017: prologue, chapter 1, 2
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 1, 2
Class # 2 – Tues., Aug. 29 – The Foundations of Modern Sports Media and Evolving Sports Platforms
Readings:
McChesney, R. (1989). Media made sport: A history of sports coverage. In L. A. Wenner (Ed.), Media, sports, and society (pp. 49-69). Newbury Park, CA, London, and New Delhi: Sage.
Earnheardt, Chapter One: In the Beginning: The Rasmussens and the Launch of ESPN (John McGuire and Greg G. Armfield), pp. 3-10
Earnheardt, Chapter Two: The Mouse that Scored: Disney’s Reconfiguration of ESPN and ABC Sports (Andi Stein), pp. 11-22
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 2, “Evolution” pp. 17-38
Frandsen, K. "Sports Organizations in a New Wave of Mediatization." Communication & Sport 4.4 (2015): 385-400.
Carrington, B. "The Shifting Landscape of Sports Media with Dave Zirin." Contexts 15.3 (2016): 8-11.
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 3, 4
Class # 3 – Tues., Sept. 5 – Transitions in Media: Across Platforms
Readings:
Lichterman, Joseph. "“We're Not the Monolith That We Once Were”: Sports Illustrated’s New Boss on Plans for Digital Growth." Nieman Lab. N.p., 16 June 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Carmody, Tim. "Both the Short and Long of It: How Sportswriting Is Taking over the Web through Innovation and Adaptation." Nieman Lab. N.p., 23 May 2011. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Tulloch, Christopher, and Xavier Ramon. "Take Five: How Sports Illustrated and L’Équipe Redefine the Long-form Sports Journalism Genre." Digital Journalism (2017): 1-21.
Moritz, Brian. "The Story versus the Stream: Digital Media’s Influence on Newspaper Sports Journalism." International Journal of Sport Communication 8.4 (2015): 397-410.
Earnheardt, Chapter Five: ESPN Deportes: Numero Uno? (Henry Puente), pp. 53-68.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/sports/espn-layoffs.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/05/31/espn-is-reportedly-laying-off-john-clayton-the-face-of-perhaps-the-best-ever-sportscenter-ad/?utm_term=.78f59d28defa
https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/06/06/seth-davis-sports-illustrated-farewell-thank-you
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 5, 6
Class # 4 – Tues., Sept. 12 – New Platforms
Readings:
Popper, Ben. "How Baseball's Tech Team Built the Future of Television." The Verge. N.p., 04 Aug. 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Konrad, Alex. "Derek Jeter Talks Two Years Of 'The Players' Tribune' And How The Site Plans To Make Money Next." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Ellis, Justin. "Building a Better Sports Bar: SB Nation Redesigns Its Blog Network." Nieman Lab. N.p., 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Sherman, Ed. "The Players’ Tribune Is Becoming an Athletic Community." Poynter. Poynter, 08 Oct. 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. http://www.poynter.org/2015/players-tribune-moves-into-second-year-as-alternative-outlet-for-athletes/377667/
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 7, 8
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-year friendship On and Off the Court. New York. Grand Central Publishing, 2017: chapter 3
Readings:
Doctor, Ken. "The Newsonomics of Big Sports Money - and News: Sports used to rely on the media for publicity. Now it’s the leagues and teams with the power. How can sports journalism respond?" Nieman Lab. N.p., 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Eliis, Justin. "My Team, My Publisher: The New World of Competition between Leagues and Media in Sports." Nieman Lab. N.p., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. http://www.niemanlab.org/2013/04/my-team-my-publisher-the-new-world-of-competition-between-leagues-and-media-in-sports/
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 9, 10
Class # 6 – Tues., Sept. 26 – Gender and Content Production
Readings:
Earnheardt, Chapter Nine: ESPNW: Catering to a New Audience (Sarah Wolter), pp. 111-126.
Wolter, Sarah. "It Just Makes Good Business Sense: “A Media Political Economy Analysis of ESPNW." Journal of Sports Media 9.2 (2014): 73-96.
Clark, Anna. "What the Missing Women's World Cup Brackets Says about Sports Media." Columbia Journalism Review. N.p., 9 June 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport Scholars. "Even In The Wake Of A Record-Setting Women's World Cup, Myths Still Surround Women's Sports." ESPNW. ESPN Internet Ventures, 7 July 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Earnheardt, Chapter Eight: ESPN’s Mythological Rhetoric of Title IX (Karen L. Hartman), pp. 91-110. Kane, M. J., N. M.
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 11, “Gender and Race” pp. 187-204
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 11, 12
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-year friendship On and Off the Court. New York. Grand Central Publishing, 2017: chapter 4
Class # 7 – Tues., Oct. 3 – Race and Content Production
Readings:
Earnheardt, Chapter Six: “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” as Race Relations Reporter: Reconsidering the Role of ESPN (George L. Daniels), pp. 69-84.
Earnheardt, Chapter Seven: Race in the Kingdom (Daniel Sipocz), pp. 83-96.
Deitsch, Richard. "Q&A: ESPN Exec on Launch of The Undefeated, Future of FiveThirtyEight." SI.com. N.p., 27 Apr. 2016. Web. .
Ferrucci, Patrick, Edson Tandoc, Seoyeon (Celine) Hong, Anthony Almond, and Glenn Leshner. "Generalizing Baseball: Holding and Applying Stereotypes to America’s Pastime." Journal of Sports Media 11.1 (2016): 101-21
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 13, 14
Class # 8 – Tues., Oct. 10 – Shifting Models of Viewership – NFL Ratings
Readings:
Thompson, Derek. "NFL Ratings Just Fell Off a Cliff: Why? Four Culprits: Presidential Debates, Cord-cutters, Twitter Streams, and Peyton Manning." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 11 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Maske, Mark. "The Likely Leading Causes of the NFL's Significant TV Ratings Decline." The Washington Post. WP Company, 12 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.
Shetty, Bhupesh, Jeffrey W. Ohlmann, and Gary J. Gaeth. "Analysis of Monday Night Football Viewership." Statistical Analysis and Data Mining: The ASA Data Science Journal 9.5 (2016): 326-37.
Vogan, Keepers of the Flame, Introduction. NFL Films and Pro Football, pp. 1-34
Vogan, Keepers of the Flame, Chapter 1. Creating and Sustaining America's Game, pp. 35-57
Vogan, Keepers of the Flame, Chapter 2. More Movies than News, pp. 58-78
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 15, 16
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-year friendship On and Off the Court. New York. Grand Central Publishing, 2017: chapter 5
Unit 2 - Creating Sports Media Class # 9 – Tues., Oct. 17 – Storytelling: the foundation of sports writing and reporting Paper 1 due 11 p.m. Sun Oct. 15
Readings:
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 3, “Storytelling” pp. 39-54
Lewis, N., and A. J. Weaver. "More Than a Game: Sports Media Framing Effects on Attitudes, Intentions, and Enjoyment." Communication & Sport 3.2 (2013): 219-42.
Nielsen Sports, 1. "Sport and Digital Storytelling." Nielsen Sports Insights (2016, November): n. pag. Nielsen Sports. Web. .
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 6, “Writing and Reporting” pp. 93-112
Kian, Edward M., and Matthew H. Zimmerman. "The Medium of the Future: Top Sports Writers Discuss Transitioning from Newspapers to Online Journalism." International Journal of Sport Communication 5.3 (2012): 285-304.
Deford, Frank. "Sportswriter Is One Word." The Red Smith Lecture in Journalism. University of Notre Dame, John W. Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics & Democracy, 2010. Web. .
Curtis, Brian. "Have You Seen This Column? The Disappearance of 'Sports of the Times'." Grantland. ESPN, 18 June 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. http://grantland.com/features/fate-new-york-s-sports-s-column/
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 17, 18
Class # 10 – Tues., Oct. 24 – New ways of storytelling
Readings:
Vogan, ESPN, Chapter 4 ESPN Original Entertainment: Branding Authority across Genres, pp. 95-120
Vogan, Chapter 5 ESPN Films: “Unprecedented Documentary Series” by “Filmmaking Originals” pp. 121-146
Earnheardt, Chapter Ten: The ESPN Effect: Representation of Women in 30 for 30 Films (Katherine L. Lavelle), pp. 127-138.
Earnheardt, Chapter Twelve: Sprawling Hagiography: ESPN’s 30 for 30 Series and the Untangling of Sports Memories (Andrew C. Billings and Kevin B. Blackistone), pp. 157-168
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 19, 20
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-year friendship On and Off the Court. New York. Grand Central Publishing, 2017: chapter 6
Readings:
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 4, “Video and Visuals” pp. 55-74
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 5, “Interviewing and Sound” pp. 75-92
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 7, “Anchoring and Play by Play” pp. 113-132
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 8, “Radio” pp. 133-152
Turner, Jacob S. "This Is SportsCenter: A Longitudinal Content Analysis of ESPN’s Signature Television Sports-News Program from 1999 and 2009." Journal of Sports Media 9.1 (2014): 45-70.
Stark, Jayson. "The Man and the Voice: An Oral History of Vin Scully's Career." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 21 Sept. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
“Broadcaster rankings.” FanGraphs. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/broadcast-rankings-radio-and-tv-master-list/
Carroll, Pete, with Roth, Yogi, and Garin, Kristoffer A. Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group 2010: chapters 21, 22
Class # 12 – Tues., Nov. 7 – Sports Media Ethics
Readings:
Schultz and Arke, Chapter 10, “Ethics” pp. 171-186
Earnheardt, Chapter Fourteen: Lipsyte, the League, and the “Leader”: An Ombudsman’s Tale (David Staton), pp. 183-196.
Strauss, Lawrence. ""Does Money Tilt the Playing Field? When Covering Becomes Marketing."" Columbia Journalism Review 37.3 (1998):
Banagan, Robert. "The Decision, a Case Study: LeBron James, ESPN and Questions about Us Sports Journalism Losing Its Way." Media International Australia 140.1 (2011): 157-67.
Given, Karen. "Sports And The Media: A Conflicted Relationship." Onlyagame. NPR, WBUR Boston, 31 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-year friendship On and Off the Court. New York. Grand Central Publishing, 2017: chapter 7
Unit 3 – Emerging Case Studies in Sports Media Class # 13 – Tues., Nov, 14 – Case Study – Concussions Paper 2 due 11 p.m. Sun Nov 12
Readings:
Cassilo, D., and J. Sanderson. ""I Don’t Think It’s Worth the Risk": Media Framing of the Chris Borland Retirement in Digital and Print Media." Communication & Sport (2016): n. pag.
Simmons, Bill. "Simmons vs. Gladwell: The Future of Football." The Ringer. The Ringer, 06 Dec. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Karimipour, Nicki. "Suicide on the Sidelines: Media Portrayals of NFL Players’ Suicides from June 2000 to September 2012." Journal of Sports Media 11.1 (2016): 49-80.
Ahmed, Osman Hassan, and Eric E. Hall. “It Was Only a Mild Concussion: Exploring the Description of Sports Concussion in Online News Articles." Physical Therapy in Sport 23 (2017): 7-13.
"FRONTLINE." PBS. PBS, 8 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Sandomir, Richard. "Partly by Shunning Documentary, ESPN Lifts It." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Lipsyte, Robert. "Winning Ugly: ESPN Journalism Prevails." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.
Class # 14 – Tues., Nov. 21 – Case Study – Doping in sports
Readings:
Lance Armstrong’s final Tour de France victory came in 2005. Looking at the Top 10 finishers in that 2005 Tour, and excluding Armstrong: six of the other nine at some point in their career tested positive, served a suspension or were significantly linked to an anti-doping investigation. See http://bit.ly/knGwMd. What is the significance?
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency v. Lance Armstrong, ‘Reasoned Decision,’ October 10, 2012, http://d3epuodzu3wuis.cloudfront.net/ReasonedDecision.pdf [202 pages]
Sally Jenkins, Lance Armstrong’s biographer: “Why I’m not angry at Lance Armstrong”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/why-im-not-angry-at-lance-armstrong/2012/12/15/5802bcce-460e-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.html
David Walsh’s response to Sally Jenkins
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/sport/cycling/article1178356.ece
Buzz Bissinger: “I Was Deluded to Believe Lance Armstrong When He Denied Doping”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/14/buzz-bissinger-i-was-deluded-to-believe-lance-armstrong-when-he-denied-doping.html
Class # 15 – Tues., Nov 28 – Case Study - Analytic Data in Sports Media
Readings:
Steinberg, Leigh. "CHANGING THE GAME: The Rise of Sports Analytics." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2015/08/18/changing-the-game-the-rise-of-sports-analytics/#63d8dec04c1f
, it sent me to a dead page. When I included the < and > it sent me to a google search page where this article was located at the top of the search. I then clicked on that and got the article and the live link URL I added below. The undergrads are already going to struggle with the amount of reading, so if we can make it just a little easier for them to click the live link, I think that would be helpful. Ultimately, this is your call, but in my experience, love links make the most sense and avoid anyone saying they could not access the article. -->
Weinberg, Neil. "It's Time for the Sabermetric Revolution to Be Televised." The Hardball Times. N.p., 30 June 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Morris, Benjamin. “NFL Coaches Are Getting Away With Crimes Against Middle-School Math.” FiveThirtyEight, 20 Jan. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Jazayerli, Rany. "The Cubs Just Ended Baseball's Analytics War." The Ringer. The Ringer, 16 Nov. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Svrluga, Barry. "The Rise of FanGraphs: Stats Site Gives Fans, Front Offices View to Baseball’s Evolution." The Washington Post. WP Company, 15 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Lemire, Joe. "Boras's Binders: What Baseball's In-House Analytics Revolution Means for MLB Agents' Edge." Grantland. ESPN. N.p., 11 May 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. .
Final Exam Period: Thurs., Dec. 7, 2-4 p.m. – Final Exam
X. Policies and Procedures
Additional Policies
Internships
The value of professional internships as part of the overall educational experience of our students has long been recognized by the School of Journalism. Accordingly, while internships are not required for successful completion of this course, any student enrolled in this course that undertakes and completes an approved, non-paid internship during this semester shall earn academic extra credit herein of an amount equal to 1 percent of the total available semester points for this course. To receive instructor approval, a student must request an internship letter from the Annenberg Career Development Office and bring it to the instructor to sign by the end of the third week of classes. The student must submit the signed letter to the media organization, along with the evaluation form provided by the Career Development Office. The form should be filled out by the intern supervisor and returned to the instructor at the end of the semester. No credit will be given if an evaluation form is not turned into the instructor by the last day of class. Note: The internship must by unpaid and can only be applied to one journalism class.
Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems
a. Academic Conduct
Plagiarism
Presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words - is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standards (https://policy.usc.edu/scampus-part-b/). Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct (http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct/).
USC School of Journalism Policy on Academic Integrity
The following is the USC Annenberg School of Journalism’s policy on academic integrity and repeated in the syllabus for every course in the school:
“Since its founding, the USC School of Journalism has maintained a commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct and academic excellence. Any student found plagiarizing, fabricating, cheating on examinations, and/or purchasing papers or other assignments faces sanctions ranging from an ‘F’ on the assignment to dismissal from the School of Journalism. All academic integrity violations will be reported to the office of Student Judicial Affairs & Community Standards (SJACS), as per university policy, as well as journalism school administrators.”
In addition, it is assumed that the work you submit for this course is work you have produced entirely by yourself, and has not been previously produced by you for submission in another course or Learning Lab, without approval of the instructor.
b. Support Systems
Equity and Diversity
Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity (http://equity.usc.edu/) or to the Department of Public Safety (http://dps.usc.edu/contact/report/). This is important for the safety of the whole USC community. Another member of the university community - such as a friend, classmate, adviser, or faculty member - can help initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person. The Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services (https://engemannshc.usc.edu/rsvp/) provides 24/7 confidential support, and the sexual assault resource center webpage (https://sarc.usc.edu/) describes reporting options and other resources.
Support with Scholarly Writing
A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing. Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute (http://ali.usc.edu/) which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students.
The Office of Disability Services and Programs (http://dsp.usc.edu/) provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations.
Students requesting test-related accommodations will need to share and discuss their DSP recommended accommodation letter/s with their faculty and/or appropriate departmental contact person at least three weeks before the date the accommodations will be needed. Additional time may be needed for final exams. Reasonable exceptions will be considered during the first three weeks of the semester as well as for temporary injuries and for students recently diagnosed. Please note that a reasonable period of time is still required for DSP to review documentation and to make a determination whether a requested accommodation will be appropriate.
Stress Management
Students are under a lot of pressure. If you start to feel overwhelmed, it is important that you reach out for help. A good place to start is the USC Student Counseling Services office at (213) 740-7711. The service is confidential, and there is no charge.
Emergency Information
If an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information (http://emergency.usc.edu/) will provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.
XI. About the Instructor
Associate professor Alan Abrahamson is an award-winning sportswriter, best-selling author and in-demand television analyst. For the past seven years, he has run his own website, 3 Wire Sports, widely regarded as the world’s best source of information about the sports, politics, business and culture of the Olympic movement. From 2006-10, he served as chief columnist at NBCOlympics.com. Before that, he spent 17 years as a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. He co-wrote Michael Phelps’ and Apolo Ohno’s books; both are New York Times’ best-sellers. As columnist for NBCOlympics.com, Alan is the winner of three Sports Emmys (2016, 2014 and 2008 Games). Other honors include: AP Sports Editors’ award for enterprise reporting; National Headliner Award for sports writing; international aquatics federation’s first-ever World Journalist Award; Track and Field Writers of America’s award for excellence in online journalism. For more, see www.3wiresports.com/about
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