|  | Resources | No.51 September 2007 |

Book Review Darlene A. Kluka |
Pedersen, P. M., Miloch, K. S., and Laucella, P C. (2007). Strategic sport communication . Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. ISBN: 10: 0-7360-6524-5 Cost: $62.00 USD Strategic Sport Communication is the first textbook of its kind to encapsulate content germane to undergraduate North American students who are enrolled in professional preparation in the field of sport communication. This text appears to be appropriate for those majoring in sport management as well as those in mass communication whose interests lie in sport. The organization of the text is one that seems appropriate for a North American audience, including learning objectives, a profile of a professional in the area of sport communication, the body of the chapter, a spotlight on an important concept or event, a chapter wrap-up, including a summary and review questions, discussion questions, group activities, individual exercises and internet sites for additional learning. Learning objectives include the terms to recognize, to learn about, to become acquainted with, to understand, to comprehend, and to consider. While there seems to be some incongruity between learning objectives and review questions and discussion questions in their levels of processing, objectives and questions cover similar content. Profiles of field-based professionals (fourteen in the text) represent eight white males, one black male, four white females and one team (American football). Thirteen of the fourteen are Americans. The body of each chapter is presented in a straight-forward, easy-to-understand language that undergraduate students can enjoy. Content includes basic definitions of terms, examples of concepts and issues and sufficient photos to keep the reader’s attention. Content in the chapters of “Careers in sport communication”, “History and growth of sport communication” and “Sport communication research” appear to be particularly rich. The historical portion is set in the context of the era and the significant impact of the era relative to writing and journalism. Key characteristics of the Golden Age of Sport seem particularly well done so that students can grasp the meaningful contributions of those who participated during that era. There is, however, an underrepresented area in movies, films and documentaries. There is an absence of contributions from the legendaries Lenni Riefenstahl and Bud Greenspan. Spotlights in each chapter provide a more in-depth view of concepts and events discussed. Each chapter wrap-up provides an excellent summary of concepts set forth. Review and discussion questions have been designed using lower order critical thinking skills language (Bloom’s Taxonomy); professors may find them helpful to design analysis and synthesis-related questions for tests. Activities and exercises, again, appear appropriate for a North American audience. Many of the activities and exercises focus on American football and other professional sports that are appreciated by a globally regional audience. Internet sites included appear to be regionally based as well, focusing on many sites with United States origins. Overall, the organization of the text is quite good, making navigation simple and meaningful for students. Textbook content in most chapters is sufficiently detailed to provide undergraduate students with breadth and depth in areas of sport communication that have never before been encapsulated in the same text. The authors are to be applauded for collecting a vast amount of information referred to as sport communication and placing it literally at the fingertips of readers. The chapter involving organizational and leadership communication falls somewhat short of the mark, however, in its discussion of styles of sport leadership communication. Communication style is detailed with a good figure describing situational supervisory styles in sport communication. The most contemporary leadership styles used in sport leadership and organizational communication are absent from the discussion. Part II of the text examines the conceptual and practical aspects of sport communication. A Strategic Sport Communication Model (SSCM) illustrates the sport communication process and categorizes aspects of communication in sport. Using a three-pronged approach, the authors have simplistically displayed the complexity and breadth of sport communication. It appears to be the first documented conceptualization of sport communication as an emerging discipline. The chapter on personal communication is particularly valuable for a North American readership, as nonverbal communication involving environmental factors, vocalics, chronemics, physical characteristics, proxemics, haptics and kinesics are discussed. Qualities of effective interpersonal communication are also offered, as is communication using verbal messages. The chapter on electronic and visual sport communication offers an outstanding synopsis of contemporary technological advances in the field. The influence of television on journalism, cable television and diversity of programming on cable are explained with clarity. Showcasing sport through films and documentaries touches only lightly on some of the classics that molded the documentary field. Clearly absent is any acknowledgement of Riefenstahl’s Olympia and scarce recognition of films/documentaries relating to women, and women of color, in sport are included. Chapter 13, “Sociological aspects of sport communication”, might provide students with some of the most interesting insights included in the text. Learning objectives focus on the understanding of the impact of sport media on society, the consideration of how sport media create and reinforce social myths, the appreciation of sociocultural, historical and political elements of sport communication, the recognition of the role of sport communication in the maintenance of the status quo relative to race, gender, nationalism and violence and the familiarization with roles of mainstream versus alternative media in the promotion of diversity through hiring processes and portrayals of ethnic minorities. The authors highlight issues relating to race and ethnicity, particularly the media’s coverage of African Americans, Latin Americans and majority women. Several of the most recent sociological issues of interest, however, appear to be missing or scarcely mentioned: sport and development, sport and social change, the Paralympics, Special Olympics, diversity representation in the sport media and ethical behavior in sport and in the sport media. Legal issues in sport communication are highlighted in Chapter 14. Using United States law as a base, the authors have defined the limits of the press and provided insight into legal issues relative to the sporting public. The inclusion of international law and the media, specifically sport media, might have set the tone for student understanding of the complexity of legal issues relating to the Olympic Games, World Championships and other international mega-events. The chapter on legal issues in sport communication is the last one. After reading the last sentence of the last chapter, there seems to be an abrupt ending to the entire text. Generally, textbooks provide a culminating chapter about future opportunities and challenges of the discipline. The professor might need to create some type of discussion about future opportunities and challenges of the emerging discipline known as sport communication. It might also be helpful to revisit parts of Chapter 2, “Careers in Sport Communication”, so that students are reconnected with previous chapters. Strategic Sport Communication is the most valuable text for North American undergraduate students studying in the areas of sport management and/or mass communication with an interest in sport in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the emerging discipline of sport communication. The authors have provided the first comprehensive text on the topic by introducing sport communication through chapters on the study of sport management and sport communication, sport communication careers, history and growth of sport communication, a sport communication Strategic Sport Communication Model, personal sport communication, organizational and leadership communication in sport, sport publishing and print sport communication, electronic and visual sport communication, online sport communication and the new sport media, sport advertising, public relations and crisis communication in sport, sport communication research, sociological aspects of sport communication and legal issues in sport communication. In short, professors who are responsible for the delivery of a course dealing with sport communication will benefit greatly from the text’s organization, content and chapter wrap-ups in order to facilitate student learning. Undergraduate students will benefit from the ease in which the text is written, its organization, and its multifaceted scope of the field of sport communication. Contact Darlene A. Kluka, Ph. D. Extraordinary Professor University of Pretoria Department of Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences Pretoria, South Africa Email: darlene.kluka@up.ac.za oreyesport@aol.com http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 Book Review Darlene A. Kluka