Other Issues in Media and Society

After reading the blog of Amir Salykbayev about the journalistic objectivity, I realised that this topic is extremely important. There is no doubt, that information we get completely depends on journalists. However, some companies the reporters, for example, work for limit them, which does not even give them an ability to express personal point of view. I found this blog one of the most useful and interesting.

https://journobj.wordpress.com/

In my point of view, Dominika Sindlerova in her blog “How the women are presented in Media” described very interesting facts about woman’s objectification in the media. This problem is worth to pay attention to because most of the advertisements, for example, have a sexual content. And I am sure, it does not have to be so. This blog made me explore this hot topic more deeply.

http://dominikasindlerova.blogspot.cz/

Despite the fact that socialization through the Internet nowadays is considered to be harmful and influence us in a bad way, because it has replaced live communication, Veronika’s blog shows it from the other side. It seemed to me very positive and unusual. She tries to explain that it is the main way to find new friends or to get new information in general. Really good job!

https://veronikafomina.wordpress.com/

Juliia Bespalova in her blog desribed teen fashion and how the media influences it. I found the post concerning video bloggers very hilarious.It goes without saying that teenagers get to know about the fashion news or their icons through the Internet or glossy magazines, and it plays great role in their everyday life. However, the main question she tried to answer is whether becoming anxious about one’s appearance is good….

https://teensfasion.wordpress.com/

Finally, I found the Maryna Strakha’s blog very educational and of current interest. The posting on statistics in advertising is really educational and interesting. It is quite shocking that we are provided with wrong data and even do not know about it. We should be aware of these facts, so I advise to have a look at this very useful blog.

https://strakhamaryna.wordpress.com/

How I See It

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

The media has become an integral part of all the sporting events. Nowadays the television audience has become considerably more important than the stadium spectators. Each and everyone can easily watch any football matches or baseball games without spending money on tickets, especially when sports are not played locally. People couldn’t even imagine that before. The media is the main way we learn about sports in the 21 century. Regarding the sport that I have chosen for studying, namely yachting or sailing, the mass media is the main factor by which this kind of sport has world-wide popularity. It is rather complicated and expensive to come to the country where regatta is held, and even in this case you won’t be able to watch all the process of competition, even from the coast, because it is always in the open water. That is why the Internet, print media, TV play irreplaceable role in the promotion of sailing. All the most influential sport magazines and TV-channels are interested and engaged in shooting the races and interviewing the yachtsmen. As regards the technical changes, which have happened since the very begging of yachting as a kind of sport, in order to make a video the helicopters with special equipment are used nowadays. All round the world races are always watched from the satellites, because they last in a non-stop mode at a great distance from the coast. Also, the journalists with the latest professional cameras follow the yachts by motorboats taking great shoots. What’s more, as the cost of a sailboat is several thousand euros, besides the fees and other expenditures (I am talking about the leading regattas with worldwide reputation), such brands as Rolex, Hugo Boss, Red Bull, Hennessy act as partners and sponsors. Such events always have a high concentration of the world’s richest people, so the most successful advertising agencies try to sign up the contracts with the organizers. There is no doubt, that the main psychological dimension of sports is competition and the achievement of victory. But as for me, yachting is more cooperative kind of sport, than competitive. Usually, there are at least 6 sailors on board (it depends on the class of a boat), so the winner is the whole team. Everyone is equally responsible for what is going on board during the race. The teamwork is very cohesive, there is no nation or sex discrimination because, firstly, the victory depends on it, secondly, the lives of people. There were many cases, when one of the team lost control and a yacht overturned. There for, I can say that the media presents yachting as very cooperative and breathtaking kind of sport.

Unfortuanatelly, yachting isn’t typicall for many countries, firstly, because it demands excess to sea or ocean, secondly, because it is rather expensive. Neveretheless, the Olympic Sailing Classes were used in the sport of yachting during the Olympic Summer Games since 1896 and has gerat popularity (over 3.9 billion people watch Summer Olympics).

Thus, I think that the media has completely changed yachting. If there were not any sport news and commercials, it would never atrract so much attention and true followers.

For Further Research

If you are interested in the topic of my blog “Sport and Media. Yachting” you can learn something more about it on other webpages.

• http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/ – it is a very interesting multimedia magazine about the Barcelona World Race. There are a huge number of educational, scientific and entertaining articles about the teams, sponsors and regatta in general. As an additional material, you can find there an online game, which was created in order to show some new facts about this kind of sport in a playing form.
• http://www.yacht-club-monaco.mc – on this official site of Monte-Carlo yacht club in the section “sport events” you can find all the most prestigious and luxury regattas, enjoy the videos, or even register and take part in one of them…
• http://www.nautorswan.com/en/ – the true sailor’s choice. There you can read some interesting facts from the design to production of the most elegant and safest sailing yachts, explore yachting more deeply.

What the Experts Say II

“Sailing is a sport in which the mental strength and physical ability of the sailor are pitted against the forces of nature.” – the BBC news.

Rob Walker, a famous American journalist, posted an article on the official website of one of the most trusted international public-service broadcaster, BBC, about the getting inspired and involving into sailing. This article is like an advertisement, telling the readership about this kind of sport and why it can be good for each of us. What really interesting about it is that there are many additional links, which can help an average person, not a professional sportsman, easily find all the necessary information. For example, there you can find an example of a website for the beginners with the perfect introduction to the sport, ensuring you learn the correct techniques in terms of sail handling, rope rigging, meteorology and helmsmanship. As for me, such educational articles promotes yachting with a great success.

You can find this article here:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/get-inspired/23164214

What the Experts Say I

Yachting it is not just a raicing in the water by yachts, as most of us have used to think. A catamaran is also claimed as a boat for sailing. For those who have no idea what catamaran is – it is a multihulled vessel consisting of two parallel hulls of equal size. One the most successful and youngest design engineer and yachtsman David J. Markey in his interview for getwetsailing.com shared his ideas about the future of sailoboats design and speed limits for catamarans. He tells us about the combination of technoologies and sport in yachting. According to D.J. Markey, “they can have many innovations how to push the sport forward”. Also, he reveals the secrets concerning the projects of sailboats, which are going to break the world speed records, consequently, attract more attention of the media. In his point of view, these innovations would be exciting, not only for the sportmen, but especially for the public, audience…

You can find this article here:

http://www.getwetsailing.com/ben-ainslie-design-engineer-david-j-markey/

Current Events II. Barcelona World Race.

Media has changed yachting completely. It has happened because this kind of sport has not got so-called stadium fans. Tv’s and readerships’ followers are much more important than fans who prefer to watch live races. As the whole action is happening in the water, races take a lot of time and cover long distances, here are no possibilities to watch it somehow but online. 

To begin with, the Yachting World is the world’s oldest sailing magazine.

No other is as widely recognized and respected in the yacht clubs and boardrooms of the globe. The best sailing writers and photographers in the world contribute across a range of subjects from blue water cruising, to yacht racing, boat tests, equipment and superyachts. By the way, this magazine is winner of the 2013 Desmond Wettern Media Award in recognition of those journalists who do most to create public awareness of maritime matters. It is also the media partner of the world’s largest transocean event and leading regattas – the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), Superyacht Cup (Palma), Antigua Sailing Week and the Pendennis Cup.

The journalists of this magazine were the first who printed the latest news about the Barcelona World Race, which started on December 31, 2014. The Barcelona World Race is the first and only double-handed (two crew per boat), non-stop, round the world regatta. It is a lap of the globe starting and finishing in Barcelona.

However, despite the fact that it is relatively young race, there have been just two of them, and now the third edition has started. According to Barcelona World Race website, “over seven million individual internet users have visited the website about the second round the world regatta, with almost 37 million page views; 360,000 videos have been watched on the official YouTube channel; over 3,900 articles and news items have been published in the Spanish press alone”. These facts show how popular, attractive and enjoyable yachting events can be!

For further information follow the link:

http://www.yachtingworld.com/blogs/elaine-bunting/barcelona-world-race-starts-light-winds-duel-alex-thomson-bernard-stamm-begun/

Current Events I. Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Once every three years there is held a mega popular round the world regatta which is carried out on single-masted yachts. The first competition was in 1973 and since then it is considered to be one of the most prestigious races among the yachtsmen. 

This year the race has started in Alicante, the city in Spain and is going to finish in Gothenburg in summer 2015. There are 9 different stages : Alicante, Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, Itajai, Newport, Lisbon, Lorient and Gothenburg. Furthemore, there will be held 10 so-called port races – short races in the waters of big cities, designed to increase entertainment of the competition. In 2014-15, an all-female crew will race against Volvo Ocean Race veterans and first-time rookies. There are 16 nationalities among the seven teams with sailors from Australia, Belgium, China and many other countries.

Every stopover features the race village programme with fantastic free entertainment for the guests and participants: concerts, ceremonies, celebrity appearances, and activities within the Volvo Ocean Race Experience.

The mass media plays a great role in the development of yachting. The standard team onboard consists of eight sailors plus one non-sailing multimedia reporter onboard the standard teams. Many international journalists always take part in each step of the regatta, because these sport events are very popular among the viewers. They attract as much attention as football matches. As the contingent consist of very rich and wealthy people, all the most famous brands “struggle” for being a sponsor and advertise their product. For example, one of the main sponsor of this very regatta is well-known concern Volvo.

Right now all the teams are on the third stage, they reached Abu Dhabi. The leg Start is going to be on the 3 of January and the distance to Sanya is 4,670 nm.

Sport and Media. Yachting.

Our lifestyle in 21 century is extremely contradictory. There is no doubt that widespread of drugs, fast food, different gadgets, modern technologies in general influence our lives in a very bad way, making us lazy, unhealthy and less active. However, at the same time, the value of sport and healthy lifestyle promotes and developes. Fortunately, the media always tries to attract our attention to different sports events. It is the most effective way to tell people about all benefits of sport and make them to do at least one of them not only because it is helpful, but is also very popular nowadays. Many celebrities and world-famous people are engaged in advertising of sports facilities, setting an example to a huge number of people and making them lead active and healthy lifestyle. I decided to delve into this topic through the connection with mass media, find out more about one of the most uncommon for some people kind of sport, namely yachting, and tell something new about it because this one is really worth to pay attention to. Furthermore, my father is a professional yachtsman, that is why I am very interested in it since my childhood.