The Impact of Sports Media on Youth
June 2004
What is Missions 101? You must learn the language and culture
of your mission field! You cannot effectively reach any
people group without knowing their culture and speaking
their language.
That’s what Breakaway TV is a all about;
communicating the life-changing message of Jesus Christ
in a culturally relevant language for today’s “digitized”
teenagers.
Breakaway TV is a television program that
uses two of the greatest driving forces in youth culture
today, sports and music, to share the message of Jesus Christ
with young people.
According to a recent study conducted by
the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, 98% of U.S.
boys ages 8 to 17 consume some form of sports-related media,
82% do so at least a couple of times a week, and 90% watch
televised sports.
The study found that sports programming
plays a significant role in the media messages that American
boys receive today, and while a full range of American boys
watch sports, the effects of their media consumption may
differ depending on who they are and what messages are being
sent.
With so much of sports media today being
infiltrated with stories of greed, scandal, rape, drug abuse,
and domestic violence, young people are getting distorted
values from the professional athletes that they emulate.
On the contrary, Breakaway TV is “showing
kids another way” by featuring interviews with professional
athletes who are grounded in their faith in Christ, exemplifying
godly lifestyles, and sending messages of hope and morality
to today’s teens.
The episodes also feature a diverse flavor
of Christian music videos and address youth issues in a
language that a young person can understand.
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