Sport Communication: A Process Approach

Sport Communication: A Process Approach explores the communicative processes associated with sport, including its organization, enactment, production, and consumption. The textbook addresses topics such as family roles in sports participation, fan identity formation, media influence on public perceptions of sports, narrative construction in sports, and ethical challenges within the field.

The content is rooted in theoretical frameworks, featuring interactionist, critical, and functionalist theories. Each chapter features textboxes that spotlight the interplay between sports, power, and social identities, as well as modern communication theories relevant to sporting contexts. The book underscores the practical application of theoretical insights to real-world sport communication examples and occurrences, demonstrating the prevalence and impact of this type of communication.

Sport Communication is ideal for courses in communication studies, sports journalism, social media content creation, coaching, and sports management. Sport programs linked to kinesiology, sociology, or psychology would also benefit from the textbook.

Gregory A. Cranmer (Ph.D., West Virginia University) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Clemson University, a faculty fellow of the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute, and a research fellow of the U.S. Center for Mental Health and Sport. His research focuses on interpersonal and organizational interactions in the context of sport.

Natalie Brown-Devlin (Ph.D., University of Alabama) is an associate professor in the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations, the director of Texas Media and Analytics, and the associate director for research of the Center for Sports Communication and Media at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on crisis communication and digital media in the context of sport.

Lauren Reichart Smith (Ph.D., University of Alabama) is a professor and the director of research at the Center for Sports Communication and Social Impact at Rowan University. Her research explores sports media, media portrayals, athlete activism, and media psychology.