Abstract This paper discusses and compares the careers of Mike Tyson and David Beckham. It shows how both became stars at a very young age and were suddenly thrust into the global spotlight. The paper examines how each of the two dealt with the glory and fame - Tyson landed up in jail for three years and Beckham had to deal with death-threats to himself and his family. Ultimately, the paper shows that David Beckham was more successful in handling the media attention than Mike Tyson.
From the Paper "What made the difference in their responses? That's difficult to say. Maybe it's the difference between soccer and boxing that affected the way in which they responded to it. Or maybe it was the difference in their support networks. Beckham had a complete soccer team who was willing to be supportive for him, and he had a family (including a wife and child) who was completely there for him. Tyson was in a competitive sport alone, without a team. He was feuding with his manager and ex-wife. He had never had a real family. He had grown up on the streets that taught survival, instead of in a supportive environment that emphasized sportsmanship. Tyson had learned boxing when he ?was sent to a correction unit where discipline was to be enforced upon him.? (Iron Mike Biography) Perhaps he simply didn?t have the network for support that he needed. Some would suggest that it was more than that. Maybe it's a racial or class issue. They are approached by the media in a very different way, certainly. Beckham is portrayed as a traditional bad boy, but he was also loved. The media let him be a perfect victim every once in a while."
Abstract This paper explains that roughness and ruggedness, once the trademarks of masculinity, are being replaced by the image of the metro-sexual male whose masculinity is a function of appearance and style. The author points out that this new masculinity is believed to be caused by (1) the shift created by the women's movement, which brought men and women on equal footing, (2) simple economics with men needing to be well-groomed to be more competitive in a tightening job market and (3) the proliferation of media and the changing face of consumerism. The paper discusses in detail the ascent of soccer (football) star David Beckham, who came into public consciousness precisely when the world was changing its perception of heroes and idols, thus extending his fame far beyond sports to become the ultimate personification of the metro-sexual male.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Rise of the New Males
Celebrities as Icons of Masculinity
Sports Stars as Models of Masculinity
David Beckham: The True Metro-Sexual
Conclusion
From the Paper "Part of the ideals of the metrosexual is an element of confusion on the subject of sexuality. This is evident in the print ads that celebrate this new male image, which combines many of the traditional traits of femininity and masculinity that makes man a study in contradictions. An example is the Versace ad that appeared in the November 2004 issue of GQ, depicting three men. Two of the men are leaning toward the camera, while the third man is sitting and leaning on the man ... However, their looks and position hint some homosexuality in the proportion, despite which they seem very comfortable with each other."
Abstract This paper uses Rosalind Coward's theory of the power of the reader to construct a discussion around the balance of hegemonic power between the paparazzi photographer, its subject, the newspaper or magazine, and its reader. Specific reference sto the case of David Beckham's alleged affair with Rebecca Loos.
From the Paper "Exactly why so many readers of newspapers have such an interest in images of celebrities in their private lives is worth consideration. Coward explains that 'Western culture has become obsessed with looking and recording images of what it has seen' , and that taking pleasure in 'looking' is enjoying the feeling of security that comes from knowing that you are distanced and that the subject cannot look back at you. So, to apply the theory to people reading tabloid newspapers, the human need to be informed is fulfilled in a way that is as little unsettling as possible by looking at photographs of celebrities. We can gain information about them and their lives, but without the risk of them gaining any information about us. Besides this, there is an element of self-importance linked to looking at photographs of other people: the reader enjoys the position of authority from which they are free and able to judge, criticise or praise the subject of the photograph."
Abstract In most Western cultures, for both males and females, adolescence is a time of intense questioning. It is a developmental stage often characterized by acts of rebellion and defiance of parental dictates and values. However, the relatively uncritical acceptance of this struggle is particular to Western culture, and there is often less tolerance of this in other ethnic contexts. This paper analyzes the movie "Bend it Like Beckham" (2002); specifically the character of Jess, a Sikh girl living in London. Her parents expect obedience while English culture dictates rebellion is essential for children to develop an autonomous identity from their family. This paper also looks at an additional source of conflict that arises from Jess' passion and talent in the male dominated sport of football (soccer). As her mother strives to prepare her for marriage, Jess only wants to play football. But Jess' conflict extends even to English society which suggests that girls use sexuality as a means of rebellion. This paper shows how, despite all of the conflict, Jess actually defines conventional Western norms of femininity in her football prowess, as well as her parent's notions of decorous and obedient feminine behavior.
From the Paper "Culturally, soccer is a central part of English life. For many young men, becoming like the cultural sports icon David Beckham, or at least aspiring to football prowess is an important part of their personal development. Football is an integrated part of the environment, the ritual of going to games, and participating in games. Jess embraces this ideal, despite her gender and despite the fact that this sport is not indigenous to her East Asian culture. She also finds romance with a non-Indian man. True, Jess cannot 'be' like Beckham in terms of her social and physical ideal exactly, but she can mimic his excellence on the field."
Abstract This paper looks at in turn three of the biggest sportswear companies, Fila, Adidas and Nike located in three different countries, Italy, Germany and America. For each company it examines the importance of its location, its primary advertising campaigns and its suitability for the global market.
From the Paper "The Adidas campaign focuses on elite sports stars but also has an emphasis on sport as a fun activity. The pictures of sports stars shown are not ones emphasizing the challenge of sport, but show the sports stars looking happy, including many of the photos showing the sports stars in poses and not in action. The football/soccer section shows David Beckham posing. The Anna Kournikova sections shows the sport stars in action, while also including more model-like head shots. In each of these cases, the emphasis is on the sports star looking good."
Abstract This paper explains that, in the world, soccer is played by nearly one billion people and generates almost $260 billion every year; the World Cup gets an audience of nearly 36 billion people. The author points out that the recent marked increase in player salary is harming the game in the smaller markets in terms of club revenues and their inability to retain their good players. The paper concludes that the U.S. has all the basic ingredients for the development of soccer, including players, stadiums, and professional teams; what it now requires is for crowds to fill up the stadiums and for the rewards to be made attractive for the players. Tables.
Table of Contents
Background
Industry Landscape
Marketing Developments
Soccer in the U.S.
From the Paper "The world has changed to a situation where entertainment is now the largest industry in terms of the volume of business and the people employed. Among the areas of entertainment, sports are the second biggest area after tourism. This has resulted in a situation where the American sports economic complex got sales worth 2 percent of the gross domestic product or $ 152 billion in 1995. This figure is based on the calculation of the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Economic Development Institute. This is expected to go up further to 3.5 percent. Among all the games in the world, soccer was the first to become international and also have a distribution wide enough to be called a global game. The efforts started first after 1974 World Cup through FIFA. There was a joint effort from the international marketing firms, companies making sporting goods, and the major network television units. This made FIFA the largest organizer of sports in the world, and a rival of the International Olympic Committee."
Abstract The paper details the history of the game of soccer (association football). The paper examines the rules of the game, and further details how the game is scored and refereed. The paper examines, among others, the soccer players David Beckham and Pele. The paper includes a discussion on sport-players' celebrity status, concluding that Pele is the best example of a soccer player who is not only an athlete, but a celebrity in his own right.
From the Paper "Because the rules of soccer are relatively simple, players can begin playing at relatively young ages. In fact, some children start playing soccer as toddlers. However, soccer is also a highly competitive professional sport. In fact, some of the best known professional athletes are soccer players. Unlike many other sports, both male and female soccer players are widely known. Some of the world's most famous soccer players include David Beckham, Mia Hamm, Brianna Scurry, April Heinrichs, Russell Anderson, Tony Adams, Bebeto, Antonio Cabrini, Jorge Campos, Luis Enrique, Ernesto Farias, and Fernando Gago, to name a few. In fact, soccer is such a popular sport that some soccer players become celebrities outside of the game. David Beckham is probably the best example of one of these soccer celebrities."
Abstract This paper analyzes "The Impossible is Nothing" advertisement in which Adidas employs David Beckham, the English football star and international sports icon. The paper discusses the primary and secondary targets of the advertisement and how Adidas is successful in targeting them. It also describes the style and artistic composition of the advertisement, the symbols it employs and its intellectual appeal. In addition, the paper discusses the advertisement's format and presentation and how successful it is.
From the Paper "This marketing campaign will be very effective at changing and shaping the perceptions of the audience because its message is universal. That life presents challenges and impediments to all people regardless of income, sports star status, and image. The message is that everything is impossible is nothing is ever attempted. Regardless of outcome Adidas has crafted a message that does not emphasize winning or losing but rather the act of attempting something impossible just for the sake of doing so even when the outcome is recognized to perhaps not result in riches or even in success. The idea is that the attempt is worth the effort and Adidas wants to be the shirt or the shoes or the equipment that the consumer has on when attempting the impossible regardless of outcome."
Examines how emerging communication technologies are affecting the practice of public relations and relates their use to marketing professional athletes and artists.
Abstract This paper explains that public relations (PR) professionals are using new communication technologies, such as web casts, pod casts, RSS feeds, text messaging, video capabilities, blogs, Wikis, and other web mediated methods. The paper reviews the history and traditional tools of PR and then describes the orchestrated marketing and PR campaigns of artists and athletes, including Diego Armando Maradona and David Beckham. The paper further relates that these campaigns whave relied on integrated marketing communications (IMC) strategies and programs that sought to further these players' unique characters and value as athletes. The paper stresses the importance of Web 2.0 applications in building an IMC strategy. Two tables are included with the paper.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Aim
Approach
Public Relations' Origins and Evolution
Strategies, Techniques and Tools Used in Early Public Relations
Internet Evolution Sets the Foundation for Social Networking
Models and Tools Used in New Public Relations Campaigns and Strategies
Public Relations and Social Networking
Social Networking and Transparency: Can't Have One without the Other
Figure: Web 2.0 Explained
Professional Artists and Athletes
Athletes' Use of PR
Maradona's PR Strategies
Summary
Appendix: Web 2.0 Applications
From the Paper "Both athletes and celebrities however are realizing that social networking gives them the chance to be much more interactive with their fans, in addition to being able to practice damage control if their lack of judgment gets them into problems. Consider the use of blogs by Brittany Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, the bad-girl trio of the last two years. All of them owe the start of their careers to the successful execution of a series of IMC campaigns that were both driven by new album releases, and events including concerts."
Tags: maradona, synchronized strategies, Web 2.0 applications, video conferencing, social networking
