Community Representation with The Ringer - Short Paper #3 (COM 624)

Appealing to audiences with different tastes of content is a rare talent in this day and age, but some specialized sites and communities have made it work. Sites, like Buzzfeed, have attracted massive diverse audiences with a wide variety of content topics and media sources, like articles, podcasts, and video. These platforms are built to appeal to audiences of all demographics, sometimes unintentionally, build communities that remain loyal to their platform. As Reed (2014) explains, early technologies were built from a default subject position of “the straight, white, middle-class, Euro-American male,” however some popular platforms are making strategic choices to include more than just the default (p. 84).

One such site is The Ringer, established in 2016 by Bill Simmons, previously of Grantland. The site itself was built as a space for the latest news in sports, however, has grown a following as a sports and pop-culture company with quality and informative cross-media content. I was first introduced to The Ringer through their network of pop-culture podcasts, then through their articles on their website. Through this content, sub-communities have grown and flourished, creating environments for strangers to connect over commonalities with each other. In this paper, we will be exploring how The Ringer has grown their community through cross-cultural content that resonates regardless of demographics.

Since its establishment, The Ringer has been well aware of their audiences’ diverse range demographics and backgrounds. The first area in which the organization has thrived and is most noticeable in their diversity is their pop-culture content. Their podcast shows like “Binge Mode” have grown their own fan communities, regardless of race, gender, or class. For “Binge Mode” specifically, it is notable that the call for the show to promote an inclusive message was a choice. This is something that the Ringer does well across their platform, understanding, as Reed (2014) explains, “that default identities have to be intentionally changed (p. 87).” “Binge Mode” has its own Facebook group specifically dedicated to its audience, in which fans are invited to have conversations around their favorite bits of pop-culture. The community has set an intentional standard to be considered a safe space, regardless of demographic, and any fan who joins is held to that standard. In addition, their podcast “The Rewatchables,” although predominately featuring mainstream American movies, has an entire section of their podcast dedicated to discussing the best and worst parts of a film as the film has aged. This moment in the podcast has allowed the hosts to discuss how media has appropriately or inappropriately handled issues of gender discrimination, race, and more. The hosts often allow the conversation to continue offline through articles or social media chats with their audience.

Though their pop-culture content is catching speed, The Ringer is most known for their coverage of sports. They prove to have a understanding of their audiences’ range knowledge of sports knowledge and access and The Ringer has made a conscious effort to appeal to a wider audience. Audiences do not have to be experts in the sports world to understand their writing style and their coverage events is wide enough that even those without access have what feels like a front row seat to the action. Their writers prioritize educating and informing their audience rather than just providing them with unexplained statistics, making their content easy to understand and universal. However, though the organization takes great strides in areas of diversity in providing content at for their audience, there is still work to be done. Looking at their current website, there is no coverage for the WBNA or other female led sports. As Reed (2014) notes in most circumstances in society today, this is not necessarily intentional explaining, “It is the historical result of those in privileged position to create and disseminate much of the digital culture (p. 86).”

Though the platform does exceedingly well in making the experience of sports accessible for its audience, it relies on an audience that has access and bases its investments in its male dominated coverage. A majority of their sports content, such as “The Ringer NBA Show,” is driven by male sports divisions and have only featured WNBA led stories five times since August of 2018. The site normally posts NBA features multiple times on a weekly basis. Their site is also built predominately for American sports teams and no foreign content is available on their site. Even though they fall short in this area, it is noticeable that they are doing their best to provide coverage in these areas with their smaller staff on their social media platforms and through their audio/video coverage.

As their company grows, it is my personal hope that their commitment to diversity in their coverage in other industries will continue to their sports coverage. These are just a few of the most noticeable ways in which the platform has incorporated diverse voices, started open conversations with their audience, and begun to rectify their lack of diverse content coverage across broader industries. Although, as Reed (2014) notes, “A desire to expand the market probably drives the change in this area more than a deep corporate commitment to cultural diversity,” it is apparent that The Ringer, and companies like it, value their audience’s representation in their content coverage, rather than just the financial bottom line. As a member of The Ringer fan community, their intentional commitment to their content and making space for their audience, is an important part of what keeps me coming back to support their content.

References

Reed, T.V. (2014). Digitized Lives – Culture, Power, and Social Change in the Internet Era. New York, NY.  Routledge Publishing.

The Ringer, (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theringer.com/