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Alexandria AcreeLogan BeardenENC 1102-4823, March 2015Saturday’s in the fall semester are the best days on the calendar for most college students around the nation. College towns are lively and active with tailgates on every corner. Fans are decked out in their team colors and filled with school spirit. And alumni return to their Alma Matter for the festivities. All eyes are on the football community as this day is dedicated to the sport, a key component of the college experience. Many universities around the nation revolve around their football team as it aids in attracting students to come to their school, brings in huge profits, and ultimately adds to the college feel. When football was first introduced in the US, it existed as a sport solely about the game. People participated in the sport for the logistics of the game, and only those interested enough to attend the games were able to appreciate the football community. Since the 21st century the entire idea of football has modernized. Allen Barra, sports journalist of The Atlantic Monthly explains, “the game has grown and diversified more dramatically than any other sport in the last half-century—in audience, in complexity, in profits, and even in numbers and sizes of players.” Football, more specifically college football is no longer merely about the game, but has turned into an industry of entertainment. Now, the sport has a way of seeping into the spotlight whether being referenced on TV, featured in national and local newspapers, searched on many websites, or trending on all types of social media. This brings up the question, how has the use of genres, such as social media, websites, and newspapers, transformed the game of college football, specifically at Florida State into an industry of entertainment? Many people wonder how the sport of football has become embedded into American culture and I believe the answer is through the community’s use of various genres that have drawn to attract almost all types of people. College football is now a large production that everyone wants to be involved in. I argue that the use of social media, websites, and newspaper articles for coverage of college football has advertised the sport in a way that entices a larger and more diverse audience making the sport a form of entertainment appreciated by a majority of the American population. Without such efficient use of genres, the football community would not obtain as much fame as it receives nationwide nor would college football be as important to American culture as it is today.There is no doubt that you have ever heard of the infamous #5 Jameis Winston, star wide receiver Rashad Greene, and the talented running back Dalvin Cook, and this is because of genres of writing and the media. A few years back, these names were unknown to the public, but “the blanket coverage [of college football]/ across all media has increased the visibility of star footballers and raised their celebrity status to new levels” (Boyle 83). Just by being successful player on such a highly ranked team like Florida State’s, has brought these men to fandom. Being a college freshman here at Florida State University, where the football program is of utmost importance, I have realized that it is nearly impossible to be detached from this community. With recent success of the team winning the National Championship, having a Heisman player, and having such a long streak of being “unconquered”, it is considered bizarre for one to not to be acquainted with this nationally renowned community. Before even deciding to attend this school, I was well aware of the fame associated with the football team, as I am sure you were too, because college football has turned into “a modern, nationwide sports-entertainment industry” and news of college football can be viewed in almost any medium (Morris “Football in the USA”). As college students, we all use Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to keep us updated with the talk of the town in Tallahassee. I constantly find myself browsing these newsfeed’s in order to stay updated with the latest tweets, instas, and statuses, making it inevitable to come across a post concerning Florida State football. In fact, there have been numerous instances where “famous Jameis” has been a trending topic throughout social media. It is evident that a wide variety of genres are used for the functioning of this particular community at Florida State, most of which have the ultimate goal of publicizing the football team in a positive light. As this community exists as an outlet of spirit, entertainment, and revenue for the University, the efficient use of social media is crucial in preserving Florida State football’s reputation throughout the nation as well as increasing the community’s audience. By having these different genres available, it allows outsiders, like myself, to participate in the excitement from the outside without actually being a part of the community. In fact, staying updated and in the know with the football team is just as important as actually being at the game to witness it. After all, those who are not actively involved with this celebratory community suffer from the “fear of missing out” better known as, F.O.M.O. When the FSU football team is the highlight around this college town, it is important to be knowledgeable of the community. Following this team’s social media accounts is the way to stay connected. Here in Tallahassee, football is valued and you do not just have to be a football fanatic to appreciate it. Many presume that the sole goal of a college football team is to dominate the BCS National Championship, but in reality there is much more that goes on behind the scenes turning college football into the large production it has come to be. While evidently the ultimate goal is to win games, what most people do not realize is the hidden purpose: to entertain a large audience so they will support their team. In the book, King Football, author Michael Oriad describes, “The 1920’s has been known virtually/ as the Golden Age of Sports, but the 1930’s was more truly the Golden Age of Football. College football had been a phenomenon in the 1920’s; in the 1930’s, it was utterly familiar, and that media-created familiarity is the point”. Evidently, media expanded the coverage of football throughout the nation. More people, aside from just football addicted males became familiarized with the sport. Although social media did not exist during the claimed period of the ‘Golden Age of Football’, its later innovation acted as a game changer for the sport. As people began to read newspapers and magazines less, they instead turned to social media to keep up with the latest news. Social media is a key component in making it possible to increase and diversify the audience of college football, and overall it has made a large impact on the sport nationwide. This outlet influences the audience with its frequent broadcasts regarding the team and helps persuade the audience to support them. One outlet of social media that has proven to be successful is Facebook. Facebook seems to constantly feature football throughout its newsfeed. In fact, there is an official page dedicated to the Florida State Seminoles football program. By presenting a page dedicated to the team throughout Facebook, gives fans entertainment even when the game is not being played and the team is off the field. This allows outsiders, like myself, to stay involved with the community at all times rather than just on big game days. Among this page, football fans can view action shots, read articles about the players, watch exciting videos, and take note of upcoming events. This helps keep the audience informed and interested in the community. After all, it is much more fun to participate in an activity when you are familiarized with it. The new media age, largely influenced by Facebook, has broadened football to being less about the game, and more about making people want to be involved in the excitement and support the team. It helps for the team to win games, but it is important to have a large audience supporting the community even through the tough losses. If the team is desirable off the field, more people will support the team. The goal of Facebook is to present this positive image of the team, and ‘liking’ the page is a way for people to show their support. According to data collected by The New York Times, in Leon County, home of the Seminoles, 30% of Facebook users are football fans. This study was based off of the amount of Facebook users in a county who ‘like’ a team. In years to come, this percentage will rise because as more people like it, the fan page will be featured on friend’s new feeds. Another feature Facebook has, is the ability to share a post. If a user reads a fascinating article about a player, they have the ability to share the post with their Facebook friends. This is a useful tool because it can help broaden the audience that supports the team. Other users can now see the post and then share it yet again. The more shares the better, because the post makes its way all users Facebook feeds. This feature helps entice a larger and more diverse audience by allowing posts to reach the eyes of thousands of viewers. Before social media, the most popular way to read sports news was through the newspaper, therefore only those interested enough to buy one would come across information regarding the team. Another handy ability of Facebook is that it allows all FSU fans to interact with one another. They can share their opinions and ultimately come together to back up their. Because such a large group already supports the FSU football community, others are more likely to support it as well because of the notion of ‘following the crowd’. There has to be a good reason that such a large group supports the same thing. Another component that helps lure users to enter the FSU page is the profile picture. If the picture is dull and boring users may ignore the page, thus losing potential fans. Considering this is the first thing users notice when coming across the page, can make or break the ability to gain fans. All in all, this social networking service is used by almost all ages from teenagers, who want to share their lives, to elders, who want to rekindle past friendships. In fact, Facebook holds over 650 million users. By introducing a FSU football page to such a popular form of social media, ensures that a large population of diverse ages will become informed of the team, thus the genre can successfully bring in a larger audience for the team. As FSU football has entered this outlet of social media, football has become a form of entertainment for its supporters.Instagram, a popular social app among us college students, exists as another useful genre by its use of pictures. The official Instagram feed for Florida State Football has over 128 thousand followers. Pictures are posted weekly on the account in order to show off the team. Because the this site solely has pictures, the FSU football page makes sure that the selected images successfully tell a story. Ultimately, the goal is for the pictures to attract the audience to support the team. Fans who like to be more visually involved can use this genre to keep up with the team. Furthermore, this page also helps bring in a larger audience to the community with the function of the ‘popular page’. If an image is trending in the Instagram community, then it may be featured on the popular page for anyone to see even if they do not follow the page. This can help the FSU account gain followers and fans. Making these images readily available to Instagram is a great form of advertising of the team. Users, like myself, can be entertained by the football community on a daily basis just by viewing our Instagram feeds, which is something I do multiple times daily. By displaying the FSU football team on this medium brings in a much different audience than that who would view a newspaper or magazine. While Instagram is a useful source for pictures, Twitter is an explanatory form a social media made to inform the audience. The official account has over 135 thousand followers. During football season this account is useful in narrating the game for those who might not be at the game. In this modern age, Allen Barra explains, “[you] wouldn't have to travel from college town to college town during the season to get a look at the best teams. In our time, [you] could get a cutaway view of all of college football in a single Saturday”. Thanks to the numerous forms of social media it is more than possible to be fully informed about a game without even watching it. During a game, twitter provides play-by-play updates. During the season a tweet reads, “After the Noles TD, extra point attempt is GOOD! We have our 3rd tie of the game, 21-21. #ACCFCG.” No matter where they are, fans can always be a part of the excitement of the game. Rather than the audience being just those who attend the game, the audience is even larger than the already massive audience that can fit in the stadium. In order to spread the news, a user can choose to retweet the post, thus allowing their followers to read about FSU football. Having this form of social media keeps people interested and involved in the football team. Also, it can help advertise the team in an efficient way. Because updates of games are readily available more people choose to be informed about the team. Furthermore, when your timeline is filled with posts about FSU football, like mine is during football season, it is hard to not participate in the excitement. When the football game is the topic of the day, it is nice to have a source readily available to keep me informed. As news of the FSU football team appears more throughout social media, it draws in a larger audience. Considering each of these accounts have well over 100 thousand followers proves that it is successful in grabbing the attention of a large audience. Also, with more followers comes more shares of Facebook posts, more likes on Instagram, and more retweets on Twitter to spread news of FSU football all over social media. These genres are always available, especially being college students that constantly view these social media sites.While different forms of social media are critical for the promotion of the FSU football team to their audience, different websites are an important aspect in the functioning of the community as well. The Florida State Seminoles Official Athletic Website is a beneficial genre that is informative to the audience about the entire football community. This website consists of the latest news regarding the team, video clips, photo galleries, an insider to the football team, a full roster of the players, biographies of the coaching staff, basic statistics, and everything there is to know about the Seminole football team. Before the new media age, a majority of this information was ambiguous to the public, however, now it is accessible to anyone with Internet. People can find almost anything they want to know about the football team, or even an individual player. I can easily locate on that quarterback Jameis Winston completed 25 passing touchdowns throughout the season. By providing this specific information to the public, it allows the audience to become more acquainted with the team, and thus more involved. Ever since I started college at Florida State, I have found myself more involved with football than ever before, and the sole reason is because I am informed. I can understand who people are talking about when they reference players. Being educated about the community makes it much more enjoyable to be involved. Furthermore, providing all of this detailed information about the players adds a game for the audience. They can find entertainment in following the player’s statistics throughout the season and seeing how they improve. After all, more people want to be involved in something that brings entertainment. is not the only website affiliated with this community, the ESPN website for the Florida State Seminoles is another principal one. The ESPN website seems to be appropriate for more knowledgeable football fans as it provides more detailed statistics as well as comparisons to other college football teams. This brings entertainment to the audience because they can have friendly competitions with rival fans about the ESPN rankings, throughout the season. Having these two websites ensures that the audience can choose the one better fit for their level of expertise. Decades ago, football existed as a recreational sport for the pure entertainment of the players. Now it has turned into a complex sport composed of explicit rules, documented statistics, and conference rankings. While the sport has become more complex, it has also become something that more people can be entertained by. Evidently there are numerous genres that aid in the functioning of Florida State’s football team and all of them have the purpose of expanding and diversifying the audience that supports the FSU football team. These genres have transformed the game to being much less about the spectacle, but more about entertainment. Before social media was available, only those with exceptional interest in the sport would attend the game, and this tended to be primarily males. Now, these genres of social media and websites allow information to be freely available bringing more entertainment to the sport. On Facebook specifically the audience can easily stay connected with the community. Currently the page has 473,220 likes, which proves that this social media outlet effectively advertises the team in a way that draws in a large supporting audience. The FSU football profile picture consists of the team logo with “National Champions” boasted across it. This is a keen tactic in getting Facebook users to visit the page. Everyone is interested in winners, therefore by prompting viewers with this information can aid in attracting them to further explore the teams the page. Some may even choose to like the page based off of the simple fact that they were the champions in 2013. Articles are also important in keeping the audience interested in the community. The latest post on the official Facebook page reads, “Maguire sets sight on starring QB job.” You do not have to be a sports expert to find out information about the upcoming season. Articles can keep fans entertained in the off-season like this post can get the fans excited for the upcoming season. While fans are entertained and interested, they will share these posts to their Facebook friends in support. Doing this helps broaden the audience who will come across this post. And thus the post can be spread all over Facebook catching the eyes of a diverse and large population of people. As the post is shared, more people become informed of the team making it more likely for them to support the team. Many users have shown their support with the claim that Maguire will be the star QB by liking the post. Over 1,600 users have chosen to like this post, while there are 160 comments and 112 shares. When the only way to find news of college football was through the newspaper, less people chose to become informed. When people have to go seek out the information themselves they are less likely to participate, however when it is featured in a genre that is used in their daily lives, they can participate in the community while also being entertained. Many times, on Facebook I have found myself clicking to read more about an article that a Facebook friend has posted, especially when it is about something regarding the University I attend. Seeing posts in March, during the off-season keeps me interested and anxious for the upcoming season. Instead of football just being a popular topic in the fall, Facebook allows FSU football to be a source of entertainment to more people, year round. Twitters efficient feature of retweets is another way that information about FSU football can be easily spread all over the twitterverse. This social media site is especially useful in the fall in keeping fans updated on game days with play-by-play’s. Being a freshman here at Florida State, sometimes it is extremely difficult to score tickets to the biggest games. But we can still be just as in touch with what is going on as those who are actually at the game. On a typical gameday, my twitter newsfeed is filled with tweets and retweets regarding the game. During the Rose Bowl, the biggest game of the season, a tweet reads “Winston in for the TD #RoseBowl #CFBPlayoff.” By incorporating the hashtag Rose Bowl, ensures that a large and diverse audience will come across this post. When ‘Rose Bowl’ is searched on twitter, every tweet regarding this topic will appear. Because this is such an important game, almost every college football fan is interested. Instead of having to scroll through a newfeed they can be directed to the topic immediately. In doing so, they will come across this post, thus becoming informed about FSU football. Hashtags are an effectual way to gain followers, because in searching a topic they are interested in, they can come across the FSU football page. Because it is relevant to their topic of interest they may choose to follow the team. Hashtags also aid in keeping FSU football fans connected with one another. They can see what other fans are saying about the team, or what rivals are insulting the team about. According to Wall Street journal, there are 974 million twitter users, therefore, if used properly, this site can effectively help the FSU football community gain supporters while they are also being entertained by the functions of twitter.Many of the players have private Instagram accounts, including Jameis Winston, who obtains 191 thousand followers. This account is an outlet of entertainment to his fans because of his fame as a football player. Oriard describes, “ the shift toward personality and celebrity marks an important stage in the evolution from ‘sport’ to ‘entertainment’.” In the past, the most successful football players were known to the public as hero’s, but now they are known as celebrities. By making celebrities out of these players allows college football to be more of a sports-entertainment industry. In fact, more people are likely to be a fan of something that involves a celebrity, which explains Winston’s abundance of followers on Instagram. Social media has brought his fame; therefore it is a form of entertainment for viewers to follow his Instagram page. Fans are able to get a glimpse into his private life and are able to see what he actually posts rather than what people post of him. In the end, his fame is an important factor in gaining more fans for Florida State’s football team. Football is a central part of American culture; the game is shown on every TV in the fall, covers the front page of newspapers, fills our newsfeeds on every form of social media, is broadcasted on the radio, and starred in some of the greatest movies. No matter what your gender, football is embedded in our culture as Americans. Author O. Hugo Benavides claims “Football reflects what America was and is”. To many, this is proven to be true. In fact, many holidays are linked to football, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. A true American knows that these holidays are not complete without watching football. The New Media Age has made this sport more important than ever as it fills our lives in almost every medium. Anyone can enjoy this production as the media has broadcasted it to attract all types of people. Considering the purpose of these genres is to entertain a broader audience than before, the purpose of the sport has changed in the process. While football is advertised throughout media, it effectively entices a larger and more diverse audience through its form of entertainment. Instead of being about the excitement of the game, media has made it about the fame of the players, the revenue it brings from the fans, and the sponsorship from corporations. College football is more important than ever, but is no longer a game, but an industry; a production. ................
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