Breast: Ethics and the Nexus of Media, Sports, and Management

This case study examines the context of and reaction to the uncovering of singer Janet Jackson’s breast during the broadcast of the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. Using a select thick reading of the event and its coverage, the analysis focuses on: a) the construction of the event by its organizational stake-holders, b) the reconstruction of understandings about how the fiasco came to be and what really happened and should have happened, and c) the deconstruction of the event by critics and those in the political environment who had reason to consider the incident and the response to it in a broader social context. Strategies for change and the prospects for “ethical health ” in the sport marketplace are considered, with special attention given to promo-tional communication and crisis management. We are pleased that a star like Janet Jackson will join the roster of entertain-ers who have made the Super Bowl Halftime so special. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, December 18, 2003 (“Janet Jackson set, ” 2003