L'influencing come nuovo frame del giornalismo sportivo = Influencing as a new frame in sports journalism

Abstract

In what ways can sports journalism continue to be considered newsworthy? In light of the varying agendas of sports influencers, how might one define the emerging frame of sports journalism and communication? The new frame has been informed by sociological studies on sports journalism in recent years, highlighting the transitory nature of the sports news circuit. This is increasingly detached from traditional notions of competence and stability, which have long been regarded as the cornerstones of journalistic communication. Instead, the focus has shifted towards routine, automatism, and editorial mechanics. The analysis reveals a precarious and fragmented nature of the linguistic and structural elements of the "sports journalistic frame", characterized by a dynamic interplay between attention and inattention, reliance on experts and other knowledgeable sources, and distractions, some of which may be voluntary. The value of competition is conceptualized as a novel principle of journalism management and organization, wherein a field is predominantly structured by the dynamics of viewership and the hybrid "chatter circuit". It is, therefore, necessary to rethink the field of sports journalism (in terms of Bourdieu, 1977) as a heuristic tool for an increasingly fluid reality defined by the relations system of new actors in sports communication, including influencers, the digital context, and processes (accountability vs. fake news). The paper examines the impact of developments of mediated and digitized sports and how sponsorship and the growing engagement of audiences interact. Consequently, it offers an investigation of the deconstruction of journalistic sports narratives and sports influencing, which can be seen as a defining feature of the contemporary cultural industry (so-called "pan-entertainment").