Life in Black and White: Racial Framing by Sports Networks on Instagram

Abstract

Research on racial framing in sports is a robust area of scholarship. Studies have shown that minorities are frequently framed along racial stereotypes. However, as social media platforms (SMPs) continue to grow in importance as a space for sports networks (SNs) to share news and information, the question emerges whether the images of SNs' social media accounts reflect racial framing found in news coverage on traditional platforms. The purpose of this study is to determine whether racial framing occurs in the everyday news coverage of the four major American sports networks: ESPN, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, and CBS Sports. Researchers examined the content of images that SNs shared on Instagram—a social media application that focuses on visual communication. Operating under framing theory (Goffman, 1974) and using a framework established in the 2002 study by Hardin, Chance, Dodd, and Hardin on framing of Olympic athletes in newspaper coverage, this study examined nearly 2,000 images shared by the SNs on Instagram and discovered that significant discrepancies exist between the way black subjects and white subjects were framed. Specifically, black subjects' athletic achievements were overemphasized at the expense of their other virtues and skills. Ultimately, this study corroborates scholarship on race in sport.