“And now for a word from our sponsors.” This phrase, commonly said by sports broadcasters, reflects the impact that the “sponsors” have on sports fans, games, teams, and leagues. A century ago, sports games could only be seen in person or listened to via radio. As time progressed, technology advanced and television began its development. As a result of televisions becoming increasingly popular, sports games were broadcasted more frequently and more people began to follow sports. The audiences for broadcasts of games grew, and advertisements became more prevalent. In the early stages, there were not many commercials. Only the big-name corporations such as Ford or Coca-Cola were able to advertise for national broadcasts. Over time, the amount of television channels increased, so more games were shown, and more companies were able to advertise during events. While all of this was happening, the professional sports leagues along with their franchises were generating more and more profit. Today, sports and the media cannot be separated. Sports franchises have net values ranging into the billions as a result. By increasing accessibility to sports, generating new fans, and using advertising to create financial success for leagues and their franchises, the development of television has proven to be extremely beneficial to the world of sports. 

When professional sports assimilated into pop culture, they quickly became associated with television. Network television channels such as NBC, CBS, and ABC were the first networks to broadcast sporting events. ABC went on to develop their own network specifically for sports called the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, otherwise known as ESPN. This network focuses on bringing sports news to the people of America twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week along with providing a channel for fans to watch the biggest games in sports. ESPN developed weekly game broadcasts such as Monday Night Football along with “syndicated programs such as NFL Game of the Week and This Week in Baseball” to feed the desire that fans had for being able to watch a game any night of the week (Vogan 13). As time progressed and the network grew, additional channels were created such as ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Classic, and ESPNU. By developing the twenty-four hour sports news cycle, ESPN has given fans more and more access to sporting events and news, along with stories. Programs like Outside the Lines and the 30 for 30 series on ESPN have given people insight to the behind-the-scenes footage that goes into the details of sports. The 30 for 30 film series documents stories about famous people, teams, and events from sports history. These documentaries have taught new fans about their favorite sports’ histories and have reminded old fans about the glory days of their past times. In 2007, ESPN was celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, so the company wanted to commemorate its history with thirty films from thirty different directors. The developers of the series seek to “tell a larger story of the era in a mosaic of the last 30 years, diverse points of view and cultural turning points” (Bayer). The popularity of the series has continuously increased since 2007, and new films are released by ESPN every year. The amount of stories behind teams and players is endless, and this endless library of history has been opened to fans thanks to series like 30 for 30. The library of sports footage in general has also continuously grown over time, and technology has allowed fans to gain insight to this footage through streaming networks. By using their laptops, phones, gaming consoles, or tablets, fans today can watch their favorite teams play whenever and wherever they would like to via television networks. 

Many networks like ESPN and FOX Sports have developed streaming websites for their programming to be viewed on. In addition, individual leagues have created their own subscription-based services that give fans twenty-four-seven access to live and pre-recorded footage. The NBA, NFL, MLB, UFC, and even the WWE have developed services like these, and they have been very successful for both the fans and the leagues. The WWE was actually one of the first sports leagues to develop a “round-the-clock streaming network” that gives fans access to “all of the league’s pay-per-view specials live, along with original programming, archival footage of classic matches and pre- and postgame shows for Raw and Smackdown” (Luckerson). The company charges just ten dollars per month, which has led to a terrific amount of subscribers. Soon after the WWE became successful, the other major sports leagues picked up their efforts and began to give their fans more and more access to events. Since the invention of television, sports have been featured on screens across the world. Today, sports can be seen on a multitude of channels all day, every day. The access to sports that has been provided to the people of the world is all possible because of television. 

The increase in access to sports over time has caused an increase in fan following as well. Since people are able to keep closer track of their favorite teams more and more, their passion for the game grows. In addition, the overall amount of fans has increased because it is nearly impossible to not see a sporting event or a sports news show every time a television is turned on. Sports mold into the world of pop culture more and more, so people’s interests in the games, teams, and players have grown as a result. One of the original developers of AOL Sports, Jimmy Lynn, has spoken about the impact of television on sports before. In a TEDx Talk, Lynn states that he believes all different types of sports have gained more followers because of television, especially sports that do not have a rich tradition such as snowboarding or other action sports. Statistics shown by Lynn prove that less popular sports like these have benefitted tremendously in the past twenty years due to a dramatic increase in coverage on television. However, the popularity of America’s signature sport, football, has always reigned supreme. Every Thursday night, Sunday, and Monday night of the fall, millions of fans tune in to watch NFL football. Even in its early stages of popularity, the NFL had a major impact on American culture. For example, in the early 1960s, Vince Lombardi appeared on the cover of Time “accompanied by the pronouncement that football was ‘The Sport of the '60s’” (Jacobson). After coaching his team to win the first two SuperBowls, both of which were nationally televised, Vince Lombardi became a legend not only in American sports, but in American cultural history. Even people who were not interested in football were interested in the success of Lombardi, and some of those people became fans. The impact that players, coaches, and games can have on people is powerful, and the creation of millions of sports fans across the world has been accelerated by television coverage of these incredible players, coaches, and games. 

The extensive amount of fans and coverage of sporting events created a phenomenon that changed sports forever: advertising. From commercials to sideline ads to logos on teams’ uniforms, advertising is everywhere in sports. “One can see logos in everything from Bo Jackson commercials for Nike footwear to the corporate logos attached to a growing number of major events (among the newest additions: the Mobil Cotton Bowl and the Federal Express Orange Bowl)” (Zoglin). Nearly every pregame, halftime, and postgame show for sporting events are sponsored by some corporation, and their logos are placed all over a broadcast. The massive amounts of people that tune in to watch games and events cause companies to want to showcase their products, and they are willing to spend millions to do so. Every year, advertising for the sports world’s biggest events costs more and more. The most expensive advertising slots are sold on SuperBowl Sunday, the biggest Sunday of the year in sports. The advertising is so expensive for the SuperBowl because “so many viewers gather around the two-dimensional screen, the equivalent of the electronic hearth, that the SuperBowl is now an unofficial American holiday” (Dvorchak). Fans watch this one game in particular with more passion than any other. In order to capitalize on the attention being shown for the game, companies release their most impactful ads, whether they be comical, entertaining, or serious. Year after year, fans become more interested in the commercials on the SuperBowl, and some people only watch for the commercials. Because of their popularity, the cost of placing these advertisements is astonishing. In 2006, “at $2.5 million, the advertising rates for thirty-second commercials during the Super Bowl far exceeded rates for other sports” (Jacobson). This cost could seem outrageous to some, but those involved know that the benefits are worth the price. This example of advertising shows how the ads benefit the viewers, companies, television networks, and sports leagues al at the same time. The television networks pay the sports leagues billions for broadcast contracts, then companies pay the networks millions for advertising time, and the fans get to be entertained while they have a break in the action from watching their favorite teams compete for championships. The impact of advertising may seem subtle, but the financial benefits that are reaped from advertisements and sponsorships make sports what they are today. 

Despite creating revenue and entertainment, commercials and advertising during sports broadcasts have been criticized. Some fans believe that there are too many commercials and it causes games to drag on for too long. In an article written in 2016, Ken Belson stated that “fans have complained for years that games are too long, and they frequently express annoyance at the number of commercial breaks and video reviews.” Even though companies try their best to make viewers entertained during media timeouts, fans do not want to stop watching the games they love. As time has progressed, games have taken longer and longer, and ratings have declined as a result. The reason for all of the commercial breaks during broadcasts? Money. In order for the major sports leagues to get paid billions of dollars from television networks, they “adapt to the needs of the tube. That can mean anything from inserting commercial time-outs to overhauling the season schedule” (Zoglin). Without the commercial breaks, the television networks would not be able broadcast as many games to nationwide audiences, and the access to games for fans would be restricted. The money that sports leagues and franchises make off of television deals is crucial to the continued success of professional sports in America. Without the revenue generated by advertising, sports as a business would be dysfunctional and difficult to be viewed on demand. Fans have always demanded greater access to sports, but that access is fueled by the money that comes from the ads that disrupt fans’ viewing experience. 

Television has been a bridge between sports and fans for generations, and the connections provided by television have personally affected millions of people. Every day of the year, fans turn their televisions to ESPN or one of the many other sports channels to catch up on the latest sporting news, watch live games, or relive history through documentaries. More and more people are turning into fans as a result of the vast coverage of sports, and the popularity has led to sports becoming one of the most financially successful industries in the world. The evolution of television and the growth of sports have gone hand-in-hand, and the moments that have occurred throughout history in sports have shaped the identities of cities and people. When a team is playing for a championship, the whole city is focused on their team and fans’ eyes are glued to their televisions. Tears of joy or sorrow are shed at the end of the game, and lifelong memories are made. These emotional moments have changed peoples’ lives, and they are all possible because of television. 