1 Daniel Quintana Genre Analysis Final Draft ENC 1102 Mrs.

. Wolcott Genre Analysis Unlike our usual definition of the word genre, which people of todays day in age mistakenly perceive as simply a form of classification, Anis Bawarshi, an Associative professor of English and Director of the Expository Writing Program at the University of Washington, takes the meaning of genre a step further. Rather than a way of classifying texts, Bawarshi identifies genre as a language form that plays an obvious role in a group of people. In addition, he proclaims that genre gives us specific access to the sites of language use that make up communities, in all their complexity. In other words, Bawarshi believes that genres allow people to gain access into certain discourse communities, as well as begin to recognize how lived textualities interact with and transform lived experiences (Bawarshi, 549). This definition of the word appears to apply to all genres and discourse communities, including those that make up the sports world. More specifically, this definition of genre greatly correlates with the field I plan on pursuing throughout the duration of my time at UCF, which is sports marketing. In this specific field, or discourse community rather, a certain type of genre plays a major role in allowing a wide range of people access into the community. This genre, as identified by Appendixes A, B, and C, are e-newsletters, which each take on their own individual format, structure, and story, but nevertheless, serve the same purpose of allowing their audience into their discourse community of sports marketing.

2 Upon examining the three e-newsletters, it was easy to note the obvious role a sports marketer plays in the sports industry promote and manage athletes, teams, sports facilities, and any sports related businesses, organizations, and news. Throughout each newsletter, the author illuminated a specific sports event that pertained to that specific point in time, and offered his view on the subject. At first glance, each newsletter appears to represent something incredibly similar, resembling no differences. But, in reality, each newsletter contains notable differences depending on a number of factors, such as who wrote the story, what the story was about (which sport/athlete), etc. In addition, particular features, including those that format/make up the structure of the newsletter are key differences among the genre. Regardless, despite these differences, Bawarshis definition of genre still holds, as each e-newsletter allows the public access into the community of sports marketing, and revealed at least to me something of great importance although each e-newsletter may allow anyone access into its discourse community, the genre tends to subject groups of people based on the premise of which sport they are interested in, thus, inviting a male majority group into it considering the main differences previously discussed. As one could imagine, it was not an extremely difficult task to find the enewsletters as shown in Appendixes A, B, and C. A quick Google search was all I needed to personally find these stories, and for many who are interested in stories like these, it is very possible for them to discover them as well. However, there are a number of factors that play a role in complicating this logic. For instance, the key word I used was interested. Although it may be a rather simple process, not every person in society is willing to/interested in searching for stories revolving around sports. Therefore, this fact

3 alone automatically limits the number of people who gain access into the sports marketing discourse community through the genre of e-newsletters. In addition to peoples individual interests, there is another important factor that can too inhibit people from accessing all of the information within the discourse community they can/need. This factor, sometimes small, and located in the upper right hand corner of the e-newsletter, as it appears in Appendixes B and C, as well as sometimes bolded, and placed where viewers can clearly see it like in Appendix A, is known as the login/register option. In other words, there are many cases where certain sports marketers, and certain sports marketing websites will not allow an individual to access its stories without signing up on their site, and in some cases, pay a fee. Although this scenario is not always the case, and may allow a person to explore a number of articles, it does play a part in inviting a specific group of people, who in most cases is mainly male. It is not very likely for a large number of females to pay money to have allowed access to e-newsletters relating to football, baseball, and basketball, which are primarily men sports. Thus, although it is not impossible for women to gain access into this discourse community, and in fact, is a very simple process, it usually tends to be their choice to opt out of the option due to personal preferences. As seen in Appendix A, the subject of the story written by sports marketer, Joe Favorito, circled around Super Bowl XLVIII, and its predicted weather conditions, which were of great concern leading up to the big game. In Appendix B, the highlighted event captured in this newsletter dealt with the huge win Cincinnati had over Louisville in the college basketball world, and Appendix C focused directly on the Seahawks star running back, Marshawn Lynch, and his troubles with the media. Clearly, the sports marketing

4 discourse community attempts to capture every detail covered throughout the world of sports. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that only a select few gain access to all information within this community, proving that although the genre of e-newsletters covers a wide variety of interests, it captures only a select number of groups, which in most cases are males interested in the sport/subject at hand. It is clear at this point that although e-newsletters allow anyone access into its discourse community of sports marketing, it tends to only invite a set type of groups into it, most of which made up of males (and a lesser number of females) who are interested in sports. Moreover, additional factors that have yet been discussed, which too influence who exactly gains access to information in this discourse community includes the author of the text, the time in which it was written, and most importantly in my opinion, the way it was written. After reviewing each newsletter from Appendixes A, B, and C, it is obvious that a different sports marketer wrote each story. For instance, as mentioned before, Appendix As newsletter was written by Joe Favorito. In addition, Jeff Borzello wrote the newsletter from Appendix B, and Michael Schottey created the newsletter as shown in Appendix C. Ultimately, this variety of authors has a huge impact on the genre of sports e-newsletters considering that each writer in the field has a different level of credibility due to what they have previously written, and whom they write for (their own blog, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, etc.). Like any author, each one has his/her own fan base/following, demonstrating the idea that not every person who takes interest in this specific genre is able gain access into the sports marketing discourse community through every genre available. Thus, although most people may be able to get a glimpse of the

5 community through a few articles written, they will most probably never be able to experience the entire thing due to author preference. Continuing with factors that limit certain people from gaining access into the discourse community, a major factor includes the time in which the genre was written. Time, specifically dealing with this genre, is extremely crucial. Like any news story, regardless if it is one concerning sports, needs to be relevant in order for people to notice it, and be interested in it. Each and every day something new is popping up in the world of sports, and because of this, it limits the public to what they are able to gain access to. It is highly unlikely for anyone to access all of the information released in a single day by multiple sources, and continue to keep pace with additional newsletters everyday. Therefore, this genre can end up being very limited to a great number of people. Moreover, the way in which the story is written can also lead to a limit in how many people view the genre of sports e-newsletters. Take for example Appendixes A and C. As already mentioned, Appendix A was written by Joe Favorito, and discussed the forecasted weather conditions for Super Bowl XLVIII, and Appendix C was written by Michael Schottey who talked about the Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, and his problems with the media. Although these two articles revolve around two entirely different topics, they are both written in the opinion of their authors. In many cases, sports e-newsletters are written to express not only facts, but also ones own opinion regarding the topic. This goes back to the idea that different authors influence certain people to follow/buy into their work on the basis of whether or not their opinion strikes interest in the public. In addition, another way in which e-newsletters can be written is focusing strictly on the facts and statistics involving the topic, and perhaps

6 offering minor thoughts such as in Appendix B. Without a doubt, there is no set way this genre needs to be written, but the way in which the author choses to write does have a great effect on who reads it, and thus, who is allowed access into the discourse community. All in all, it is clear that although the genre of sports e-newsletters is open to the public, there are a number of factors that play a part in subjecting/limiting this genre to a set group(s) of people, and not allowing others access into the community of sports marketing. Nevertheless, this should not truly surprise anyone. Sports e-newsletters are not written for every single person to read. In most cases, they are meant to be read by people who already have prior knowledge of sports, and thus, will gain the most out of them. Their purpose is not so much to teach people about sports, but to inform them about hot topics in the sports world on a day-to-day basis, and offer their opinion on the subject (controversial or not). In addition, aside from the content of sports e-newsletters, the structure of them, as well as the features that make up this genre, serve a very important purpose. For instance, it is clear that there is more going on in each of the newsletters presented below in Appendixes A, B, and C, than simply one sports story being told. In Appendixes B and C for example, there are a number of links running down the right side of the page, offering additional sports newsletters the audience can link to, and hopefully gain more information into the community of sports marketing. Clearly, the ultimate purpose of this feature is to promote a variety of sports stories, which makes sense considering that this is under the job description of sports marketers. Another feature that Appendixes B and C share is the excessive use of pictures. In each newsletter, a photo that suits the topic, whether it is one of Cincinnatis basketball players

7 jumping up to block a basket, or a headshot of Marshawn Lynch, also accompanies the story presented. Regardless, the picture captures its audiences attention, and brightens up the webpage, making the article seem more interesting to the reader. In comparison to these two newsletters format/structure, the newsletter in Appendix A is completely different. In this newsletter, there are little to none links that appear on this page, offering readers additional stories to read. Also, there is a lack of pictures, which makes this newsletter seem very unappealing. The only picture that makes it onto this newsletter is a picture of the author, Joe Favorito himself, suggesting that this newsletter is more about his opinion, and getting people to sign up for his newsletters, which in some cases, is the number one priority for sports marketers in this communities. Overall, no e-newsletter is exactly the same. The author of the story, when it was written, how it was written, and the structure/format of the genre makes each newsletter different, but at the same time, does not take away from the fact that they each share the same purpose of allowing the public into its discourse community of sports marketing. Although these factors may at times limit who exactly is able to gain access into the community, they still promote the world of sports, offering both facts and opinions, and inviting whoever is interested in the subject to take part in the genre.

8 References Appendix A: Favorito, J. (2014, January 24). The real super bowl winner? madison avenue and wall street . Retrieved from http://joefavorito.com/2014/01/24/the-real-super-bowlwinner-madison-avenue-and-wall-street/

9 Appendix B: Borzello, J. (2014, January 30). Night court: Cincinnati puts nation on notice with louisville win. Retrieved from http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eyeon-college-basketball/24425384/night-court-cincinnati-puts-nation-on-noticewith-louisville-win

10 Appendix C: Schottey, M. (2014, January 29). Marshawn lynch burned the media and picked a fight he should never win. Retrieved from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1940934marshawn-lynch-burned-the-media-and-picked-a-fight-he-should-never-win