My Research Topic...This Week

-My Research Topic...This Week by Deb Wallevand

What does it mean to develop a research topic? Well, it would mean the world to me! In fact, it has almost been seven days since I came up with my latest research topic. I think this one is really going to stick. I would like to work with the OU athletic department and SoonerVision, http://www.soonersports.com/school-bio/sooner-vision.html, in developing a recruitment video or a video that highlights the success of OU women athletes.

As far back as I can remember I have always been very passionate about sports and sports broadcasting. Most children dreamed about being in the Olympics, while I dreamed about covering the Olympics. The movie A League Of Their Own had a profound effect on me as a ten year old and I became very interested in the history of the All-American Professional Girls Baseball League, http://aagpbl.org/. That movie was probably the root of my interest in women's sports. During my undergrad I researched the effects of Title IX, http://www.titleix.info/ . Now at the graduate level my studies have focused on media coverage and the language used to describe women athletes and women's sports.

I have not really scratched the surface as far as my current research topic is concerned, but I would like to begin reading the research about sports highlights, sports psychology, feminist sports psychology, and sports recruitment. I'm curious how this new research fits in with my interest in women's sports. Additionally, I'm excited to combine this research with videography and editing techniques.

I think what really gets me excited about this new research topic is the fact that my master's project could help me land a job after school. I feel I would have a few paths to follow including working with a university in-house production studio such as SoonerVision, , a cable sports channel like ESPN, http://espn.go.com/, or a non-profit organization such as the Women's Sports Foundation http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org or Girls Are Champions http://www.girlsarechampions.org/. This web video about the WSF is a good example of what I would like to do because it includes sports, video and promotes women's athletics. I want my work to educate and inspire and not just entertain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhE9M5i-KZc

So far this process of determining a research topic has been pretty frustrating because every other week it seems like I'm changing my mind. It feels like I'm a six-year old who wants to be a doctor, the president, and an astronaut. However, I do think I'm on the right track finally. I guess the key word is "develop" a research topic. I will continue to read articles and hopefully fine-tune a topic that I'm passionate about.