Award Date

1-1-2000

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication Studies

First Committee Member

Lawrence J. Mullen

Number of Pages

69

Abstract

The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR, has seen a tremendous popularity surge in the past decade. The sport is attracting record crowds at its events nationwide and its televised broadcasts are gaining audiences rapidly. While there are many reasons why NASCAR has gained an audience recently, this exploratory study examines the role of communication technology in the proliferation of the sport; Each technology is discussed as it relates to a NASCAR fan's enjoyment of the "total experience," a term that defines the ultimate mediated experience available to a fan using communication technology without his or her presence at the race. This study investigates several communication technologies and their impacts on NASCAR's popularity. Cable television, radio frequency scanners, point-of-view cameras, the Internet, and statistical graphic displays are all components of today's NASCAR broadcast. The uses and gratifications theory is used to explain the sought gratification of the total experience by NASCAR race fans.

Keywords

Communication; Experience; Fans; Nascar; Racing; Rise; Technology; Total

Controlled Subject

Mass media; Recreation

File Format

pdf

File Size

2365.44 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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