Strikeout: Media and Sports

Right off the bat, “Framed and Mounted: Sport Throughout the Photographic Eye” by Rowe caught my attention. First because I love sports and think their impact in every aspect of life should be analyzed. Secondly because of the first sentence; “The epic moments of sport are most memorably captured by still photography” (142).

False.

Maybe 10 years ago that was true, but epic moments are captured by videos! I’m not saying that there aren’t any truly amazing sports photos, but videos are what circulate on Facebook today.

There’s a whole Vine account dedicated to amazing sports moments—pictures may say 1000 words, but videos say 1 million. 

Rowe writes about how the photographer can frame the photo to say what he/she wants. I talked about this in “Insert Image Here” because the power (ability to manipulate?) of the photographer is huge in media. He writes, “Even when the image is caught, it can be altered in many ways to improve its impact” (143). What you see as an amazing, moving sports photograph may have been enhanced to make you feel that way.

I think videos are more realistic—given they can be edited, but not as much as a photo can be.

Despite which is more powerful, photos and videos have an impact. They affect our perception of the world. Appeal with photographs can also be changed by “caption, headline, the positioning of the item in relation to other items, the reputation of the publication” which can be seen in the “New York Times Analysis.”

Rowe goes into specific detail about the portrayal and impact of women’s sports photography. Women in sports are often shown not as “active participants”—could this affect how women are seen in modern society?

Sport photography has the potential for huge impact on society because it is often associated with the body and therefore sex. Rowe writes, “Both sports photography and pornography are fixated on the body, minutely examining its performative possibilities” (148). With women portrayed as less than men and the association of sex with sports, can women athletes be accurately represented by images? 

I think yes—but it takes great care by media to do so. With media literacy, there will also be less ability for manipulation by the media.