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The associations between traditional and social media and the growth of non-normative sports

2020; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 24; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/17430437.2019.1710132

1743-0445

Joshua Woods,

Sports Analytics and Performance

This study examines relationships between media and the growth of disc golf. Using the 50 United States as units of analysis, four indicators of disc golf activity are measured. The volume of coverage and framing of the sport in traditional media are measured using a content analysis of 2920 newspaper articles. Social media activity by state is measured with a random sample of 2551 individual profiles from disc golf groups on Facebook. This study shows that disc golf’s historical and regional growth are positively correlated with the volume and favourable framing of the sport in news media. Social media use is also positively correlated with regional growth. However, measures of the sport’s commercialization did not change over time and are not correlated with regional growth patterns. Non-normative sports may develop through two processes: One driven primarily by commercialization, and one that relies more on grassroots efforts to grow the sport.