1. Reinforcing Racial
Stereotypes in Media:
Content Analysis of Athlete
Descriptions in College
Basketball and College
Football Announcing
William Benson
Communications, Media, & Rhetoric Senior Seminar
University of Minnesota, Morris
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2. Outline
• Introduction – Rationale
• Literature Review
• Research Questions
• Theoretical Connection
• Methodology
• Coding Categories and Player Descriptor examples
• Results
• Discussion
• Limitations – Future Research
• References
3. Topic Rationale
• Passion for Sports Media
• Two polar racial stereotypes: African-Americans
have innate athletic skill and Caucasian athletes
are more intelligent
• Modern racism – Power of Media
• 2003: Donovan McNabb – Rush Limbaugh comments
4. Literature Review
• Denham, B. E., Billings, A. C., & Halone, K. K. (2002)
• Race in Broadcast Commentary case study of the 2000 NCAA Men
and Women’s Final Four
• Billings, A. (2004)
• “Depicting the Quarterback in Black and White” content analysis
• Mercurio, E., & Filak, V. F. (2010)
• Framing of Black and White Quarterback Prospects prior to the
NFL Draft
• Calvert, S. (2014)
• Racial Discrimination Rhetoric in USA Today
5. Research Questions
• RQ1: When discussing athletes in on-air
broadcast commentary in terms of cerebral and
physical abilities, how are Caucasian athletes
portrayed?
• RQ2: When discussing athletes in on-air
broadcast commentary in terms of cerebral and
physical abilities, how are African-American
athletes portrayed?
6. Theoretical
Framework:
Cultivation Theory –
George Gerbner
• Public hears announcers discussing players
gradually influencing the audience in small ways
over time. Relates to relevancy of this research
as mediated effects of stereotypes carried down
over time influence announcers subconsciously.
http://deanzamasscommspring2011.blogspot.com
7. Methodology
• Content analysis of on-air commentary from
October 2014 - March 2015
• Units of Analysis: 10 College Basketball games & 10 College Football
games
• Variables: Race (African-American and Caucasian)
• Only in-game commentary of network-employed individuals
• Discourse from players, coaches, fans not included
• Race Determination – Eye test / Internet research
• Examined each player description for any word or
phrase that illustrated athleticism, intelligence, or effort
• Five coding categories
• 10% random check of coding
8. Coding Categories - Examples
I. Positive Physical Attributes
“He’s got a huge arm”
Bryce Petty – Baylor QB
“His energy, his
physicality, his
athleticism are all off the
charts”
Montrezl Harrell – Louisville
PF Gocards.com
Baylorbears.com
9. Coding Categories - Examples
II. Positive Mental Attributes
“Shot preparation is
excellent”
Bryce Alford – UCLA
PG
“Able to block out a
lot of distractions”
Jameis Winston – FSU
QB
seminoles.com
Uclabruins.com
10. Coding Categories - Examples
III. Negative Physical Attributes
“Certainly not the
biggest kid on the
floor”
Josh Adams – Wyoming
PG
“Not the most physical
dominant pass
protector” broncosports.com
Gowyo.com
11. Coding Categories - Examples
IV. Negative Mental Attributes
“Made some mistakes
in his reads and
decision making”
CJ Brown – Maryland QB
“Struggled with
confidence sophomore
year”
Anthony Clemmons – Iowa
PG
hawkeyesports.com
Baylorbears.com
12. Coding Categories - Examples
V. Effort (Determination/Intangibles) Attributes
“Battled through
adversity all year long”
Cole Stoudt – Clemson QB
“You got a couple
junkyard dog types on
the floor”
Trey McDonald – OSU C Ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Clemsontigers.com
16. Discussion
• Limitations:
• Independent coder of data – my discretion
• Unequal representation of different races in NCAA
• Negative descriptor’s uncommon in college sports
• Player descriptors can fit multiple categories
• Future Research Opportunities:
• Explore multiple media platforms – print, magazine, TV shows, social
media
• Analyze coaches dialogue or media’s descriptors of coaches
• Different sports, races, or competition levels
• Other live commentary – Radio, Podcasts
In summary…
17. References
• Berke, L. H. (2011). The Future of Media Professions in Sports Organizations. JMM: The International Journal On Media Management, 13(3), 215-218. Retrieved from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.morris.umn.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6e25d1d7-4803-4a1a-943f-2828890bc25d%40sessionmgr113&vid=16&hid=102.
•
• Billings, A. (2004). Depicting the Quarterback in Black and White: A Content Analysis of College and Professional Football Broadcast Commentary. Howard Journal Of
Communications, 15(4), 201-210. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.morris.umn.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4899cc84-a4f1-43d8-95ac-
9a811c82dd4a%40sessionmgr4001&vid=8&hid=4214
• Buffington, D., & Fraley, T. (2008). Skill in Black and White: Negotiating Media Images of Race in a Sporting Context. Journal Of Communication Inquiry, 32(3), 292-310.
Retrieved from http://daveknot.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/media-images-of-race-in-a-sporting-context.pdf
• Calvert, Sam. (2014). Racial Discrimination Rhetoric in USA Today, 3(60-66). Retrieved from
https://www.elon.edu/docs/eweb/academics/communications/research/vol3no1/07CalvertEJSpring12.pdf.
•
• Denham, B. E., Billings, A. C., & Halone, K. K. (2002). Differential Accounts of Race in Broadcast Commentary of the 2000 NCAA Men and Women’s Final Four Basketball
Tournaments. Sociology of Sport, 19(3). Retrieved from http://hk.humankinetics.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/eJournalMedia/pdfs/5163.pdf.
•
• Gaines, Cork. (2012). These 20 Programs are the Biggest Money Makers in College Sports. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/these-20-college-sports-
programs-are-the-biggest-moneymakers-2012-1
• Harrison, C. Keith, Lawrence, M. Suzanne, Bukstein, J. Scott. (2011). White College Students’ Explanations of White (and Black) Athletic Performance: A Qualitative
Investigation of White College Students. Sociology of Sport Journal, 18(347-361). Retrieved from
http://www.bus.ucf.edu/faculty/sbukstein/file.axd?file=2012%2F6%2FSSJ+Published+Version+-
+White+College+Students’+Explanations+of+White+(and+Black)+Athletic+Performance-+A+Qualitative+Investigation+of+White+College+Students.pdf
• Hartmann, Douglas (2007). Rush Limbaugh, Donovan McNabb, and “A Little Social Concern”. Journal of Sport and Social Issues. 31(45-60). Retrieved from
http://www19.homepage.villanova.edu/karyn.hollis/prof_academic/Courses/2043_pop/Scanned%20Articles/Rush%20Limbaugh%20vs%20Donavan%20McNabb.pdf
• Jackson, D. Z. (1989, January 22). Calling the plays in black and white: Will today’s Superbowl be Black brawn vs. White brains? Boston Globe, p. A25.
• MacArthur, Paul, Angelini, James, Billings, A. C., & March, Alexis. (2014). Parallel Lines of Commentary? The NBC Broadcast Network’s Primetime Depiction of male
Gymnasts at the 2012 Olympic Games, 16(73-84). Retrieved from www.fsp.uni-lj.si/mma_bin.php?id...
•
• Mercurio, E., & Filak, V. F. (2010). Roughing the Passer: The Framing of Black and White Quarterbacks Prior to the NFL Draft. Howard Journal Of Communications, 21(1).
Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.morris.umn.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6b451c95-fe21-40ec-ada3-
666a548cc489%40sessionmgr4005&vid=13&hid=4109
•
• Rada, J. (1996). Color blind-sided: Racial bias in network television's coverage of professional football games. The Howard Journal of Communications, 7: 231–240.
•
• Silva, C.A., Votre, S.J. (2012). Racist Discourse Of The Brazilian Sports Media At The World Cups, 7(1-20). Retrieved from
http://www.uff.br/esportesociedade/pdf/es2001.pdf.
Hartmann (2007) pinpoints racism at its most dangerous in examining the controversy surrounding the comments of newly appointed ESPN studio commentator Rush Limbaugh on former quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2003. Limbaugh stated that the media was desirous for an African-American quarterback and favored McNabb because he was black
Transition = Hole in Previous Research
After reviewing previous relevant discourse, the following research questions were formulated:
"The primary proposition of cultivation theory states that the more time people spend 'living' in the television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality portrayed on television” Cohen (2000).
Why College? Better spread of African-American and Caucasian athletes in comparison to professional basketball and football. Two sports that generate significant income and revenues for schools, often funding the entire athletic department. Most of the revenues come from television contracts; In the college sports world, funding correlates directly with influence.
