Change in Sport, 1973-1980 Flashcards
(10 cards)
Types of Sport
National Game
American football
Pete Rozelle - commissioner of NFL negotiated weekly Monday night game, became national institution
NFL Super Bowl became an unofficial national holiday
Became a professional game
Types of Sport
Uni vs Professional
Moved from Uni teams e.g University of Nebraska to professional teams e.g Miami Dolphins
Groups moved to cities with greater opportunities, end of local community spirit in sport
Oakland Raiders moved to LA after Al Davis (owner) failed to get city to finance stadium upgrades
Types of Sport
Other Games
More popular due to television
National Basketball Association signed contract with USA Network (cable company)
Showed NBA matches on Thursday nights
1980 - Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) and Magic Johnson (LA Lakers) were household names
Sponsorship and Commercialisation
Association
Sponsors such as beer and sporting equipment became associated with sport
Coors sponsored National Hockey League Stadium, Anheusher-Busch (Budweiser beer) was key sponsor of NFL
Sponsorship and Commercialisation
Profit
1973 - Colleges, teams, and athletes earned vast sums from spectators, sponsors, and TV rights
NFL - TV rights earnings rose from $188 million 1970-73 to $646 million 1978-82
Sponsorship and Commercialisation
Shift to TV
1960s - main NFL club revenue from ticket sales
1980 - it was TV revenues, Super Bowl TV audience rose to 76 million, ad revenue was $222,000 per 30 second advert
90% men and 75% women watched sport on TV
Success of Athletes
Pay Disputes
Players began to demand greater shares of profit
Labour disputes, lawsuits, walkouts, and strikes characterised team sports
Black Americans such as John Mackey were influenced by Black Power - sued NFL to gain greater bargaining power over salaries + movement to other clubs, won in 1976
Success of Athletes
Salary Increases
1970 - annual wage was $23,000
1975 - $56,000
1980 - $75,000
Basketball: Magic Johnson offered contract of $25 million a year
Corruption and Violence
Cheating + Journalism
Commericalisation encouraged cheating and investigative journalism
Players sold stories on others to damage credibility
Estimate 1/3 of Olympic team on steroids in 1968, 68% by 1972
1980 - Uni of New Mexico coaches falsified grades to keep students earning money through sport
Corruption and Violence
Increased Violence
Due to money - endemic in sport because it ‘makes good television’
1978 football game, a New England Patriot bumped into Oakland Rider Jack Tatum
He suffered** two fractured vertebrae,** left quadriplegic
Autobiography ‘They Call Me Assassin’ (1980) Tatum said he did not feel guilty as it was ‘what the owners expect of me’
