RESPONDING TO MEDIA VIOLENCE


Sports and sports media appeal to adults and children of all ages. Cheering on a team is an activity that even very young children can enjoy together with parents and friends.

While many sports inspire tremendous physical and emotional accomplishments of strength and stamina, some involve varying degrees of physical violence. Media representations frequently focus on and promote the physical conflicts that are inherent in these sports or, in some cases, have been staged to increase audience appeal.

It is common, for example, for sports reports and play-by-play commentary to contain metaphorical language that glorifies and promotes physical conflict- language that enthusiasts usually enjoy because it's graphic and exciting. Commentators describe plays in terms of "crushing" opponents, throwing a "bomb", and "killing" the clock. Teams are often marketed through aggressive logos depicting ferocious animals that not only identify teams, but tap into or create consumer demand for "spinoff" merchandise.

Through graphic visual and sound images, children see and hear about countless real-life examples of extreme competitiveness. Displays of temper and arguments with authority, for example, are not uncommon in televised sports. Such images can be a powerful influence on those who experience them, and may suggest "scripts" to be imitated. It's clear, therefore, that children require images to balance their media experiences of sport. These may be provided through positive modelling of cooperation, skill development and respect in community and school sports programs.

Children also need to learn how and why different media forms, especially television, have the power to increase audience excitement and entertainment by focusing on violent elements in sport; they need to be able to see through the "hype" and staged violence in texts such as televised wrestling events and hockey games. As students develop the concepts and skills required for critically appreciating media representations of sport, they also gain greater awareness of the various strategies that real-life athletes must use to cope with the actual hard work, excitement, frustration and satisfaction of competitive sport.