CC 337 - Topics in Sports Communication: Nation Branding Through Sport & Entertainment

Course Description

"Special topics in sports communication. Prerequisites: junior standing and courses depending on topic. May be repeated for credit if topics differ. (Semester varies)"

This course will look at how nations utilize sport and entertainment to differentiate and position themselves to various consumer types and global stakeholders. Specifically looking at state and privately owned brands found in the Middle East, China and Europe that shape narratives and image. Brands explored and discussed will include Aramco, Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways in the Gulf region. And how each of these brands from the Gulf shape diplomacy through sponsorship in soccer and F1. Chinese brands found in sport ownership (Suning at Inter Milan, Fosun at Wolverhampton), the entertainment industry (Legendary Pictures, AMC Entertainment, Alibaba, Tencent), and how those industries create China’s global power and relevance. And looking at European soccer where the UAE owns Manchester City, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund ownership of Newcastle United and Qatar’s Paris St. Germain (PSG). Guest speakers from the sport industry, world of entertainment and also academia will add additional texture to the class discussions. The idea is to paint a picture of how all of these concepts intersect in the complex world of diplomacy and nation branding.