Sports entertainment is a huge moneymaker in the world of media. Television stations and reporters know that when there is a professional sports game, people will be tuning in to see every moment of the game. The athletes on these teams we tune in to see week after week become larger than life and we often feel as though we know these people intimately. It's hard not to be a fan of someone when a camera can zoom in and make you feel as though you are just inches away from him or her. Media coverage of sports is good when it comes to bringing us the games that we really want to see. But, the media coverage and speculation about the athlete's personal lives is often unnecessary, yet we can't look away.

The media has actually influenced the way the game is played, and it's obvious when you watch a baseball game. When the catcher and the pitcher on professional baseball teams meet at the pitchers mound to talk about tactics of the game they actually have to cover their mouths with their hands or their gloves. This is becoming more and more common over the last few years as media coverage can zoom right in on the players and people can actually determine what is being said. When coaches come out to the mound they do the same thing, so as not to give away their game strategy to anyone who might be watching for that purpose. It's quite sad actually, that a coach and his players can whisper at the mound without worrying about being heard! Media coverage has really affected the game in this aspect, and it's not something that is likely to change.

The media coverage of sports figures is phenomenal. When a well-known athlete gets married, has a baby, or gets divorced we all know about it from several media sources. When an athlete has been in legal trouble its news worthy, even if it won't affect his or her ability to play the sport that they are associated with. While we all like to know things about our favorite athletes the media coverage of such personal events seems a bit drastic. We should want to get all the media coverage about a game winning score, or a record breaker, but media coverage tends to focus on the gossip and juicy details of an athletes personal life. And, they keep doing it because we can't help but pay attention!

Media coverage of sports and sports figures has definitely affected the way the games are played, the way players carry themselves, and the way that fans perceive these athletes. If nothing else, the fans know that these people are as human and as flawed as they are, they are just extremely athletically inclined as well.