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Gema Lobillo Mora
I
INTRODUCTION
Comunicación deportiva, más allá del periodismo deportivo
Sports communication, beyond
sports journalism
Universidad de Málaga
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5315-3057
Gema Lobillo Mora
This monograph is dedicated to sports com-
munication from a global point of view, where
aspects as diverse as journalism, sponsorship,
the media, social networks, broadcasts, etc.,
are dealt with. That is why the concept of sports
communication encompasses much more.
This issue reects the need to disseminate re-
search in sports communication, which is nec-
essary in the times we live in, where leisure and,
specically, sports are part of our daily lives and
where they are an essential part of our lives.
There is a need for academic research and pub-
lications in this eld, as it has often not been
given the importance it deserves due to its eco-
nomic and social potential, which is much more
potent than any other eld. Sport has excellent
social and economic power; the academy can-
not turn its back on this vital power.
To some extent, the articles included in this
monograph cover this need to give visibility
to studies in this eld. Firstly, in the paper on
Sponsorship as a conditioning factor in the de-
velopment of the careers of Spanish elite sports-
men and women, an attempt is made to detect
how the scope of sponsorship aects the suc-
cess of sportsmen and women. Through the
study of the variables of gender, discipline,
or country where the profession is exercised,
Óscar Gutiérrez-Aragón, Joan-Francesc Fon-
devila-Gascón, and Alba Gracia-Conde of the
University of Girona structure a qualitative re-
search, through personal interviews and focus
groups with Spanish elite athletes, to conclude
that success is conditioned by discipline, gen-
der, country or previous successes.
Secondly, authors Roxane Coche and Benja-
min J. Lynn from the University of Florida and
Matthew J. Haught from the University of South
Carolina examine, in the article Divide and
Conquer? A Model for Live OTT Sports Streaming
explores the model of multi-level streaming
sports broadcasting through new sports fans,
traditional fans, and hardcore sports fans. Thus,
a quantitative survey of adults in the United
States shows that sports fans could increase if
broadcasters implement this streaming model.
Thirdly, this time in English, Fencing on Insta-
gram: Examining self-presentation as branding
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Comunicación deportiva, más allá del periodismo deportivo
strategies of professional fencers, authors Ad-
milson Veloso da Silva and Tao Yiming, both
from Corvinus University in Budapest, study
the branding strategy of professional fencers
through their public presentations, which they
disseminate through social networks, specical-
ly through Instagram. These authors examine
the accounts of the top ten fencers, according
to the International Fencing Federation (FIE),
to explore the opportunities for professional
fencers to develop self-presentation and com-
munication strategies on the digital platform.
In short, the main result shows that the active
use of Instagram by fencers improves their
self-presentation and positively inuences the
image of fencing as a sport.
Fourthly, Francisco Javier Zamora Saborit (Inter-
national University of Valencia), Guillermo San-
ahuja Peris (Jaime I University), and Sandra Ari-
as Montesinos (University of Alicante) present
a study on the Evolution of the use of TikTok in
Spanish football. Comparative study 2021-2023.
These authors compare the dierent proles of
the social network TikTok as a communication
channel of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de
Madrid, Sevilla CF, and Valencia CF for two years,
complemented by four in-depth interviews with
sports professionals. After comparing both
methodologies, it is concluded that there is a
135% increase in the number of publications
and that the stylistic resource of humor and
entertainment is the main content used.
The monograph dedicates the fth article to
the research on The role of women in the produc-
tion of journalistic pieces: analysis of Mundo De-
portivo and Marca during Qatar 2022, authored
by Nahuel Ivan Faedo from the University of
Vic. This paper analyzes female sports journal-
ists’ role in producing journalistic pieces pub-
lished in the Spanish sports press during the
FIFA World Cup-Qatar 2022. The author carries
out a quantitative content analysis of informa-
tion published between 20 November and 18
December 2022, which coincides with the cele-
bration of this sporting event. Among the most
noteworthy results, it shows a low presence
of female journalists in producing articles and
fewer women designated to work with informa-
tion on Qatar 2022.
To conclude the research, Caroline Patatt from
the University of Beira Interior in Portugal ana-
lyzes the SporTV channel, which is the audience
leader among those specializing in sports dur-
ing the COVID-19 crisis. Through the case study,
based on content analysis and interviews, this
author presents the results that journalistic
convergence was fundamental for developing
television sports journalism in Brazil during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The monograph concludes with a review of the
publication Multinational entertainment compa-
nies. Football, Diplomacy, Identity, and Technolo-
gy, published by the UOC and written by Pro-
fessor Xavier Ginesta Portet. In the review, The
evolution of the football business as a multination-
al entertainment company, written by the coor-
dinator of this monograph, Gema Lobillo Mora,
she gives an overview of the dierent chapters,
complete of theoretical foundations and years
of research. She presents an essential text for
students who want to specialize in sports com-
munication.
This introduction aims to present the exciting
studies compiled on sports communication.
Still, readers are encouraged to delve into every
one of the texts that will ll them with knowl-
edge and generate a desire to approach this
eld from an academic point of view beyond
the traditional informative and journalistic one.
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Gema Lobillo Mora
Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya
Universidad del Azuay
