Abstract
In times of conflict or crisis, the media tends to “rally round the flag” and express mostly patriotic views in its news coverage. The current study aims to examine whether this phenomenon is also true for other covered topics that are not hard news related—while focusing on the coverage of the sports section. Examining the coverage of the sports sections in three leading Israeli newspapers during the Second Lebanon War (July–August 2006), the findings show that the rally effect was salient in sports coverage in the initial stages of the war. Three central themes were identified: (a) expressions of patriotism, (b) discussions about the foreign players, and (c) minimal criticism. In accordance with previous literature, the evidence suggests that the rally-round-the-flag concept has an effect on coverage of sports news not directly related to the conflict. Here, too, it is shown that sport plays a significant component in the formation and strengthening of the national spirit.
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