CAHSS Faculty Articles
Title
Spectacularized Sport: Understanding the Invention of a Nostalgic, Commodified Sporting Event
Department
Department of Writing and Communication
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Publication Title
International Journal of Sport Communication
ISSN
1936-3915
Volume
4
Issue/No.
1
First Page
1
Last Page
19
Abstract
This analysis examines the commodification of the 2009 National Hockey League (NHL) Winter Classic, a professional outdoor hockey game staged in Chicago, IL, at Wrigley Field. Given the dynamic relationship between sports and corporate sponsorship, ratings, merchandise, and broadcast-rights contracts, it is critical to understand how the principles of late capitalism influence both the sport and fans in increasingly controlling ways. As a result, this study combines an understanding of the principles of production and consumption, examining how economic principles manifested themselves in the commodification of nostalgic elements and made the NHL Winter Classic the sport’s most lucrative event in decades.
NSUWorks Citation
Andon, S., & Houck, D. W. (2011). Spectacularized Sport: Understanding the Invention of a Nostalgic, Commodified Sporting Event. International Journal of Sport Communication, 4 (1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.4.1.1
ORCID ID
0000-0001-5001-7175
DOI
10.1123/ijsc.4.1.1
