Becoming an athlete father: A media analysis of first time father tennis star Andy Murray and the implications for identity

Abstract

Within sport psychology, little research on fathers has been done, with no research yet exploring the social construction of athlete father identities to learn more about gendered parental identities in sport. Building on media research within sport psychology, the present study sought to extend understanding of athlete father identities in a cultural context by examining how news media constructed one high profile athlete’s (i.e. tennis star Andy Murray) journey into new fatherhood in relation to identity. Ethnographic content analysis was used to explore Murray’s athlete and father identities as socio-cultural creations shaped by media narratives. Sixty stories from UK news media were collected between 1 December 2015 (two months prior to the birth of Murray’s daughter) and 31 December 2016 (the end of the 2016 tennis season), to explore Murray’s journey as a new father in relation to identity and athletic career. Eighty-seven images contextualised the meanings of news narratives. A central cultural narrative of involved fatherhood constructed two identities: the good father and the new and improved athlete father. These identities fed into multiple meanings of involved fatherhood and athletics. The meanings both affirmed and resisted gendered ideals in parenting and sport which had implications for athletic career. These findings extend cultural sport psychology research on the social construction of identity and previous media research on elite athlete mother identities into research on media representations of elite athlete fathers.