To wrap up last week As suggest by Weber the rational productivity focus of capitalism leads to the control of individuals by rationally productivity rules and regulations and non human technology This leads to the dehumanization of the modern individual Given this dehumanization people can become disenchanted with their lives because their existence is externally controlled by the rational predictability and productivity demanded by the iron cage of capitalism Disenchantment is a flaw of McDonaldization Reenchanting disenchanted sport Ritzer suggest that many leisure sites were once enchanted as they provided consumers with novel Unique and special experiences However responding to the demands of capitalism toward maximizing revenues many leisure experiences were McDonaldized As such Ritzer argued that these experiences soon became disenchanted Re enchanting Consumption since disenchanted experiences are not attractive to consumers Producers seek to enhance consumption through providing reenchanted experiences In doing so producers utilize spectacular elements implode space and time and provide simulations Giving you that something extra Ritzer and Stillman Early Modern enchanted Reenchanting baseball stadiums As events happened in the stadium they became special to the fans Late Modern Disenchanted Don t feel like you re in the city or part of the city ex Pittsburgh Forbs feel created a connection the new one didn t Post Modern reenchanted Views of the city not the same types of memories but you have references to history throughout the stadium ex Camden yards Reenchantment is all about reverting back to the past Post one substantive question on a topic from the first module and one substantive answer to another student s question or post two answers homework On elms discussion board Society of the Sporting Spectacle Focusing on culture technology is implicated as well Culture a set of practices system of meaning through which we learn the values ideas and beliefs of the society in which we live Travel and communication used to be limited People were living in these enclaves that were relatively untouched by the wider world Culture is able to develop to the fullest Now technology has defeated distance The speed and reach of cultural communication have been accelerated Pre Modern Communications VERY slow News traveled by word of mouth news traveled over distance very poorly Modern Communications Growth of mass communication Printing Press The telegraph dots and dashes over hundreds of miles Radio Mass communication products going directly into people s homes Post Modern Communications Mass media individualized mass media Satellites internet global form of communication instantaneous bring it into your home It s not one way Each of us can be a producer and a consumer of news and information Information now moves at the speed of the life It s visual digital global instantaneous viral The media helps define images to what we see in our highly visualized culture We rely on the media Product the commercial mediation of culture And Process the manufacture of cultural meanings in marketing branding commodities and services Our TV is not just a TV its an education media It teaches us We learn what to consume and how to consume it Individual spectacle mass mediated personas celebrities Commodity Spectacle mass mediated commodities brands Monumental spectacle mass mediated happenings mega events The spectacle in 3 different ways or things make up the spectacle Monumental Spectacle Mass mediated happenings mega events The spectacle appears at once as society itself as part of society and as a means of unification just an appearance of unity mass mediated personas celebrities These celebrities aren t real people Paris Hilton is a public persona She s an image that the media helps to create Really tells us about our society Mass mediated commodities brands We define our identity by the things we buy Theres a sport media convergence mediasport the media sport complex sportainment sport entertainment television loves sport 1 explicit and telegenic physicality 2 innate competitive structure 3 nurtures deep rooted identifications and loyalties 4 relatively simple and inexpensive production demands 5 potential for generating visceral excitement In sum it s hugely popular TV has no interest in sport it s merely a means for profit making The mediasport triad Sponsor advertising space broadcast sponsorship Audience NIELSEN ratings demographics Between sponsor and sporting event Quantity high profile events generate large viewing figures Quality more specialist sport programming attracts