Towards a critical theory of sports journalism: (de)commodification of the profession, information and audiences

Abstract

In recent decades, a rich body of critical research on sports journalism has been developed which, however, has not yet led to the explicit formulation of a critical theory of this news specialization. In this article we want to contribute to fill this gap by presenting some foundations for the development of such a theory. Based on a theoretical framework and a dialectical critical methodology, we discuss and articulate the explanatory, normative and practical dimensions of the critical theory of sports journalism. To do so, we start from a classic entry point of critical theory such as the concept of commodification. In this case, we focus on the commodification of the profession, information and audiences of sports journalism, which allows us to address journalistic production, content, distribution and consumption. Critical theory explains that there is a hegemonic synergy between the difficulty of the profession to maintain its cultural authority, the production of commercial and uncritical information, and the treatment of audiences as consumers. At the same time, it shows the importance of a normative approach that favors the decommodification of the different dimensions of sports journalism. Finally, critical theory seeks to feed back with fair collective practices, so we collect experiences of independent sports journalism that try to move away from mercantile logic. We conclude that this theoretical framework is oriented towards the expansion of creative freedom in sports journalism under conditions of equality and diversity, but we point out that there is a theoretical-practical need for the design of public policies that allow for structural reforms of democratization and humanization of media systems.