How Big data influenced sports and marketing forever

Essay 2

The purpose of this project is to see if you are able to apply the theories we have learned in this class to gain a perspective on/explains a phenomenon in the world. Or, to put it another way: to see “general” processes in your “particular” case study.

For this project, the case study you will analyze will have something to do with sports. It can be about the career of a person, it can be about a particular sport (or a comparison of sports), it could be about the business of sports, it could be about a level of sports (recreational, high school, collegiate, professional), it could be about who gets to participate in sports. It could be something happening on the FIU campus or here in Miami or anywhere. Basically anything sports-related that you can reasonably cover in 8-10 pages. I will take an extremely broad definition of sports: including competitive video games, marching band, professional wrestling, dance, fitness, etc…

The proposal and presentation (detailed below) are steps you take on the way to producing a final paper. This paper will consist of three parts (plus a bibliography), each about roughly 1/3 of the total length of your paper:

1.​ ​ The presentation of the case​: In this section, you will introduce your topic. You will include what it is about, who is/was involved, where it took place and when. You should also include what other people have thought/said about it. In this section, you must have at least 8 “data sources” – although a few more than that is probably preferable (but no need to go overboard). The easiest is to use Google News or some other news search engine (for example, the library website will let you search old issues of Sports Illustrated, New York Times, Miami Herald, etc.). It would be great if you used something like Web of Science (accessible via FIU Library Website) to find some sources in peer-reviewed academic journals -- but some topics may not have anything on them written in journals, so this is not a hard and fast requirement. You are also welcome to conduct interviews, observe/take field notes to get information, particularly if your topic is located in South Florida or impacts South Florida. Citations must be included and properly formatted in a style of your choosing. The goal of this section is to demonstrate that you have a good grasp of the nuances of the topic, and have examined multiple perspectives on it.

2.​ ​The summarization of two theorists from the course​: In this section, you will introduce two theorists/writers from the course whose theory you think will be applicable to an analysis of the topic. They MUST be from this course, not other courses you have taken. Authors covered on Thursdays will be easier to work with, because the “general” point of their readings is clearer. You will begin by summarizing the reading from the first author, highlighting its particular topic (e.g. prisons, Lesothto) and then outlining its general point, using the author’s specific terminology (but explained in your own words). For example, if you cited Butler, you would explain performativity; Foucault, panopticism and discipline; etc…. You would then do the same for a second author. You will then

compare and contrast the two authors – how are their ideas similar? How are their ideas distinct from each other? The key thing I am looking for here is that you understand each of the theories and are able to explain them in your own words in a detailed manner.

3.​ ​Your Analysis​: In this last section, you will use the two theorists you outlined to conduct an analysis of your particular case. Take the first author, and explain how their theory explains multiple aspects of your case study. Then do the same for other author. Then contrast these understandings provided by course authors to other explanations/proclaimed impacts you have found about your topic during your research. Conclude by highlighting at least three major takeaways/main points you want your audience/reader to know about you case/remember about your analysis. In this section, be detailed in your explanations instead of brief – make the specific connections between your case and the theories clear. To use the Foucault example: yes, Foucault says we learn to discipline ourselves – but he has a lot of details of how, where and why that unfolds. Be sure to include those details.

4.​ ​Bibliography

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My question: How big data influenced sports and marketing forever.

- Use the Thaler and Sunstein “Money ball” reading - The Bourdieu reading, “How can one be a sports fan?” - Can use additional sources if necessary

So basically, the first section you would introduce the topic of big data in sports, and then its impact on sports marketing in particular. The second section, first talk about Thaler and Sunstein; then Bourdieu -- following the above guidelines. The third section is to use whatever points you made about the authors to analyze the case of big data and sports marketing, then discuss how those analyses are similar and different.

That is a rough, rough outline -- but hopefully enough to get you started.