ABSTRACT
Prior to the television era, print and radio carried sporting events to fans in a fairly matter-of-fact manner without altering how the game was played or viewed by the fan. Certainly these media provided a degree of hype and hoopla, glorifying the sports hero and exalting the ideal of fair play and rivalry, but they had very little impact on the economics of sports, and made no effort to create an audience. Sports can no longer be thought of as an escape into leisure, or time away from the more serious pursuits of the work-a-day world. On an everyday life and interpersonal level, sports has become so pervasive that it is difficult to listen to a conversation without hearing sports imagery, lingo, or metaphors. Everyone familiar with sports in America today understands that there is too much money in the games. The role of the sportscaster became more important as the pressure to entertain a mass audience grew.
