Class
Article
Department
Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology
Faculty Mentor
E. Helen Berry
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Previous research reveals differences in the language used to describe minority and non-minority football,basketball,and baseball athletes.The purpose of this study is to address the dearth of research regarding media portrayals of minority and non-minority athletes in the National Hockey League (NHL). This study utilized both qualitative and quantitative analyses to determine whether media coverage of professional hockey players is different based on race. Comments (n=1,487) from 18 of the highest circulation newspaper publications in the United States and Canada reporting on regular and post-season play for the 2013-2014 NHL season were coded using a modified version of the Biased Coverage Index. Three statistically significant findings included a) players with five or more years of experience are portrayed more favorably, regardless of race; b) the percentage of physical and cognitive comments received by minority players was reduced in post-season newspaper coverage; and c) the valence of comments received by minority players during post-season newspaper coverage was more negative than the valence of comments received by non-minority players during the same time period. These findings reveal an association between post-season play and differential coverage of minority and non-minority athletes in newspaper coverage of NHL games.
Start Date
4-9-2015 12:00 PM
Color-Coded Media: Portrayals of Race in Newspaper Coverage of National Hockey League Athletes
Previous research reveals differences in the language used to describe minority and non-minority football,basketball,and baseball athletes.The purpose of this study is to address the dearth of research regarding media portrayals of minority and non-minority athletes in the National Hockey League (NHL). This study utilized both qualitative and quantitative analyses to determine whether media coverage of professional hockey players is different based on race. Comments (n=1,487) from 18 of the highest circulation newspaper publications in the United States and Canada reporting on regular and post-season play for the 2013-2014 NHL season were coded using a modified version of the Biased Coverage Index. Three statistically significant findings included a) players with five or more years of experience are portrayed more favorably, regardless of race; b) the percentage of physical and cognitive comments received by minority players was reduced in post-season newspaper coverage; and c) the valence of comments received by minority players during post-season newspaper coverage was more negative than the valence of comments received by non-minority players during the same time period. These findings reveal an association between post-season play and differential coverage of minority and non-minority athletes in newspaper coverage of NHL games.