The representation of the ‘refugee crisis’ and ‘sport’ in the German Press: an analysis of newspaper discourse

Abstract

ABSTRACT – EMPIRICAL RESEARCH The so-called ‘refugee crisis’ was a highly mediatised event. Despite being considered an important engine for integration, the representation of sport within the media coverage on the ‘refugee crisis’ has never been scientifically reviewed. With the intention of closing this research gap, the present article explores the question: ‘How do German newspapers represent sport in the context of the ‘refugee crisis’?’ To answer this question, 1,840 articles were analysed using a template analysis and interpreted on the basis of foucauldian discourse theory. The analyses focussed on the discourse strands identified within six main themes: (1) Construction of the refugee athlete; (2) Refugees as threats or victims; (3) Engagement of the sport system; (4) Sport facilities as shelters; (5) Integration of refugees in/through sport; (6) Sport as a charitable purpose. The analysis of these strands of discourse shows that the sport theme is deeply embedded in that on the ‘refugee crisis’, but not bound to its development. While sport has the paradoxical potential of both oppressing and empowering individuals, this article focusses on how the sport-related discourse strands support the reproduction of cultural hegemony. Towards the discourse strands, the German press often drawn a distinction between the generous German ‘self’ and the powerless refugee ‘other’.