Semiotics and Sport Communication Research: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations

Abstract

This article offers a discussion on the application of semiotics to sport and communication studies. It considers the theoretical orientations of semiotics and the key analytical foci to which semiotic research pays attention. Initially, this article reviews a linguistic theory of structuralism and poststructuralism. It also contemplates three paired concepts within the semiotic discipline that are particularly relevant to sport communication research. These include (1) the notion of denotation and connotation, (2) metaphoric and metonymic signs, and (3) syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations. This article also considers Derrida’s notions of différance and deconstruction. In addition, this article presents a case study of analysing the content of the Procter and Gamble Company’s marketing communication campaign associated with the Olympics in order to show how the conceptual tools of semiotics can be used for sport and communication studies. This case study indicates that the Olympic sponsor’s commercial messages naturalise the gender order underpinned by the notion of hegemonic masculinity. This work concludes that while semiotics is, by no means, a research tool without limitations, it can be a useful interpretative method for analysing meaning-making processes in sport communication and for identifying underlying ideological assumptions embedded in sport as a cultural text.