Thomas Horky, the 2025 Lynn and Dana Roper Visiting Professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, will present “Esports, Formula Extreme E, Kings League and Other Hybrid Forms of Sport: Reflections on a Theory of the Virtualization of Media Sports” at 2:30 p.m. March 3 in the Nebraska Union’s Regency Suite.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
Horky will examine how the perception of sports is evolving from real-world competition to immersive, technology-driven experiences. In his presentation, he will discuss the following:
- The role of audience perception in defining sports media;
- The globalization of sports through digital marketing and sponsorships;
- The increasing use of English as the dominant language in transnational media reporting;
- The impact of livestreaming, social media interaction and augmented reality on fan engagement; and
- The shift from traditional Olympic sports models to hybrid competition formats.
Horky is a professor of sports journalism at the Macromedia University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg, Germany. He is also the assistant editor of the journal Communication and Sport, an editorial board member for several international journals and adviser of the Bung Karno Center for Sport and Communication in Indonesia. His research focuses on the quality of journalism (international comparison), media sports, sport management, sport sociology, the staging of sports journalism and entertainment.
The lecture is sponsored by the Roper Visiting Professorship in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
