A major sporting event can

leave a media legacy

A content analysis of print media resulting from the Australian Surf

Life Saving Championships at Scarborough, Western Australia

Photo courtesy of Harvie Alison Photography

With 23.5% new

footage!!

Sport and media, media and sport

• Symbiotic relationship between sport and

media

Sport promotion <-> media content

• Sporting events are the “shop window” of

sport organisations– Masterman 2004

• Publicity is a positive benefit from an event– Dwyer, Mellor, Mistilis & Mules 2000

Method-1

• Newspaper content analysis– Riffe, lacy & Ricco 1999

• Western Australia focus

– The West Australian (daily, from 1997)

– The Sunday Times (weekly, from 2001)

• Accessed from 1997 via Factiva

• Inductive category development– Mayring 2000

Method-2

• 16 in-depth interviews with key

stakeholders

Coding table

1. Surf sports

a. Australian Surf Life Saving Championships

(ASLSC)

2. Surf lifesaving

3. Other surf lifesaving articles

Results

• 5,392 articles from 1997 – 2014

(up to 21/11/2014)

• 773 useful articles

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

20

13

20

14

Nu

mb

er

of

arti

cle

s

Year

Focus - other

Focus - lifesaving

Focus - ASLSC

Focus - surf sports

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Other

Lifesaving

Surfsports

ASLSC

“The media coverage of surf

lifesaving has gone back to

where it was two years ago,

which was almost bugger all”- Surf Life Saving Western Australia board member

“… the relationship with Surf WA and the media is a bit stronger … we had to push to get stories in whereas now, they’ll ring us and ask if anything’s going on”- Western Australian club president

Discussion

• Any publicity is good publicity?

• Surf lifesaving versus surf sports

• Leverage

Conclusion

• Hosting an event can provide new and

increased areas of promotion

• Improved relationships with sport

journalists can assist.

danyahodgetts.com

for abstract,

slides and

presentation

surf life* OR surflife* OR life

sav* OR lifesav* OR SLSWA

OR life guard OR surf sport