Sports Media Research Articles

Tracing Testosterone in Women’s Elite Sports News Coverage: Cisnormatively Policing the Category of Women

ABSTRACT The study is tracing testosterone through debates and regulations of participation in women’s elite sport between 2015 and 2022. We are interested in the ways that testosterone becomes an agent in constructing sport-bodies as gendered bodies and sustaining as well as deconstructing binary gender categories in elite sport. Furthermore, taking up feminist science and technology studies, affect and trans theory, we are interested in what testosterone does to the ways elite women athletes are imagined, but moreover, we are interested in the figures and signifiers that get attached to testosterone within elite sporting realms, such as questions of fairness and danger. Based on a dataset of documents, regulations, and press releases from a range of international sports organizations and articles from Danish media debates on (especially trans) women’s participation in sports, we analyse selected cases of woman athletes, sport organization and sport disciplines that have been involved in debates about testosterone rules and levels in women’s sport.

Linguistic and cultural specifics of the sports media narrative (based on the example of sports commentaries in Canada and Russia)

This study is devoted to the comparative study of the specifics of the sports media narrative. The aim of the study is to compare the sports media narrative in the linguistic and cultural paradigm (based on the material of sports commentaries from Canada and Russia). The object of the study is the sports media narrative in the Canadian and Russian linguistic cultures. The subject of the study is the linguistic and cultural aspect of the sports media narrative of Russia and Canada. The relevance of this article lies in the fact that events in the field of sports reflect the problems of globalization and forecasting the future, which determines the importance of both a comprehensive and aspect-based study of communication in this field and, in particular, the sports media narrative. In addition, comparative studies that identify the linguistic and cultural features of the modern media text, its expressive capabilities as a means of organizing narration, correspond to the methodology of modern language science. The main methods used in this work are comparative discourse analysis and the linguistic narrative method. In addition, quantitative data processing methods were used. The novelty of this work is due to the fact that for the first time a comparative analysis of the sports media narrative in English and Russian (based on the material of sports commentary) is carried out. Conclusions: oral texts produced within the framework of both discourses are characterized by internal dynamics, polycode (the commentator's speech is accompanied by a video sequence) and are arranged in accordance with the canonical narrative sequence. When describing the image of an event, commentators, speakers of different linguistic cultures, use an extra-egitic strategy (an omniscient observer-narrator), sometimes using an introdiegetic strategy (the desire to indirectly become a participant in the narrated events). Linguistic and cultural differences are most clearly seen at the level of speech types. Russian commentators are characterized by the use of informative narration, while Canadian commentators use descriptive narration. The second most significant type of speech in the Russian media discourse is reasoning. For Canadian commentators, the description is more typical. The Russian sports media narrative follows a dramatic (plot) way of showing events, while the Canadian one follows a chronotopic one, i.e. it is determined by reference to time and place. The revealed differences may indicate that when narrating an event, commentators create a "second reality" based on their axiological attitudes due to cultural differences between the two countries.

Improving South Korea’s Crystal Ball for Baseball Postseason Clinching and Elimination

We develop mathematical programming models to calculate enhanced “magic numbers” for determining playoff elimination and clinches in the Korean Baseball Organization. These magic numbers are disseminated on a website for fans seeking accurate updates on their team’s postseason prospects. The website has received attention from Korean sports writers and fans alike.

A study on the characteristic of Sport Investigative Journalism to restore the value of Sport Journalism

A study on the characteristic of Sport Investigative Journalism to restore the value of Sport Journalism

‘Reimagining’ gender equality in media coverage?: feminist frameworks in European and Olympic portrayal guidelines

European entities (such as the European Union, European Commission, Council of Europe, and the European Broadcasting Union) published several reports between 2019 and 2022 that addressed gender representation in sports media. Drawing on multiple types of sources, including peer-reviewed research, the reports make recommendations for gender balance and gender equality in media coverage pertaining to national-level and international sports. This study analyzes four such documents to identify how research informs recommendations. First, the study examines citation practices in terms of authors’ location and data scope to observe that the guidelines draw primarily on research based in the United States, while omitting data from several regions of Europe. Then, guided by feminist storytelling as a framework, we analyse which feminist concepts circulate in media guidelines. The guidelines use systematic reviews to address gender inequalities in coverage, draw on intersectionality without specific references to theory, and recommend a gender-mainstreaming approach in production practice. We highlight studies that would address asymmetrical citation practices and epistemological gaps in portrayal guidelines and propose future directions for feminist sport media studies and sociology of sport research. A transnational feminist approach would be useful in avoiding universal recommendations while making connections between local particularities and global patterns.

More Medals, More Press: African Media Coverage of the 2022 Commonwealth Games

In 2022, 72 teams competed in the Commonwealth Games. The continent of Africa sent more teams to the event than any other world region. However, few studies have examined the African perspective related to mega-sporting events. The current research utilized a comparative content analysis of online national newspaper articles published in African Commonwealth countries during the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Results indicated significant differences between the countries related to gender, national interest, and sport discipline. These findings extend research on the agenda-setting presence in sports media related to mega-sporting events. Theoretical implications related to agenda-setting as well as methodological suggestions for cross-national comparisons within countries in contexts in the Global South are discussed.

Implementasi Tunelling pada Perancangan Sistem Peringkasan dan Klasifikasi Berita Otomatis menggunakan Textrank dan KNN

News summarization is very important in the news analysis process. However, in the summarization process, there are often obstacles such as the large number of news stories and the need for news classification. This research aims to build a simple web-based system that can be used to summarize and classify news which will be very useful in the news analysis process. The proposed summarization method is Textrank, and the news classification method that will be used is KNN. This system is expected to provide an automatic summarization function to make it easier to analyze news content. The data that will be used as the basis for classification modeling is sports news in 3 months, and the classification that will be used to determine whether the news includes sports news in three branches, namely football, rackets or basketball. Testing of the summarization model using textrank was carried out by applying ROUGE-1 and ROUGE-2, with results of 0.79 and 0.67. Meanwhile, testing the classification model using KNN with k=3 and k=5 is 0.9866 and 0.9666 so k=3 will be used. This system will be built using the web scrapping library, textrank, stopword from PySastrawi, scikit-learn for the classification module using the KNN algorithm, and ngrok for publishing web-based applications. By using ngrok, we can expose the application through internet with a temporary public url without hosting required

Attitudes to automated and human written sport journalism

Automation processes are increasingly being applied to the area of sports journalism. This study examines differences in the perceptions regarding human written and automated match texts using an experimental design with n = 251 Australian sports fans. Results showed that human-written articles rated higher on measures related to enjoyment and liking. Differences in arousal and quality were not significant across the match report content. Importantly for media organizations, perceived differences were prominent for all individuals, not just those who read match reports more frequently. Results suggest that perceptions of ‘enjoyment’ and ‘liking’ differ significantly between human written and automated texts; human-written reports were rated as more ‘enjoyable’ and ‘liked’ than automatically generated reports.

NCAA coaches’ perceptions of the inclusion of transgender athletes: a qualitative analysis

ABSTRACT The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) established policies for the inclusion of transgender athletes to compete in collegiate sport that align with their gender identity. Despite this access, the extent to which collegiate sport environments are welcoming, inclusive and supportive of transgender athletes is unclear. Understanding coaches’ perceptions and attitudes is particularly salient given the critical, and often personal, nature of coach–athlete relationships and the impact coaches have on sport environments [Kuhlin, F., Barker-Ruchti, N., & Stewart, C. (2020). Long-term impact of the coach–athlete relationship on development, health and wellbeing: stories from a figure skater. Sports Coaching Review, 9(2), 208–230; Stirling, A. E., & Kerr, G. A. (2013). The perceived effects of elite athletes’ experiences of emotional abuse in the coach–athlete relationship. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11(1), 87–100]. NCAA coaches’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards the inclusion of transgender athletes is unknown, and thus the degree to which coaches are creating safe, or harmful, environments for transgender athletes is unknown. The present study aims investigate coaches’ perceptions to be able to inform policy and education for promoting inclusive, safe environments for transgender athletes. We asked NCAA coaches (N = 1358) to describe the reasoning for their beliefs regarding the inclusion of transgender athletes in collegiate sports. Through reflexive thematic analysis, we determined coaches’ reasoning for their perceptions, within the context of five higher-order themes: (a) It’s not right: Transgender identities as invalid, (b) A need to protect (cis) women’s sports, (c) Transgender rights are human rights, (d) Sport’s role in society and coaches’ role in sport and (e) I am not sure what I believe. Analyses illuminate avenues for transgender athlete inclusion training for coaches.

His Work Here Is Done: How Sports Journalists and Commentators Framed Colin Kaepernick’s Possible Return to the National Football League

A frame analysis was conducted of recent coverage by sports journalists of the on-again off-again possibility that Colin Kaepernick might sign a contract to play with a team in the National Football League (NFL). Kaepernick was blacklisted by league and team officials angry at, and hoping to avert public backlash from, Kaepernick’s 2016 decision to kneel during the national anthem to protest systemic police brutality and mass incarceration. The analysis enabled the creation of champions, distractions, exile, futility, impact, and spectacle frames. The analysis affirms that journalists may be priming readers to conclude that the NFL has learned its lesson, that some officials should be congratulated for generating the bravery to welcome Kaepernick back to the league and commended for their newfound insights about racism. The episodic frames emerging from coverage of the tryouts and a possible signing affirm that the “new appreciation” of Kaepernick has become a nonthreatening reverence for his place in history. Kaepernick’s exile now reads like a one-off, an outlier, rather than a glaring example of the systemic racism that still infects the league. Frames affirm that the NFL—with help from the nation’s sports writers and commentators—has taken control of the narrative with which fans process an athlete’s activism. They have legitimized the narrow space provided by the league for player protest.

Female Sports Journalists: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

This article aims to explore the experiences of female sports journalists in Sweden from a gender perspective. The theoretical framework is inspired by Yvonne Hirdman’s understanding of gender in a binary system and R. W. Connell’s definition of hegemonic masculinity. Data consist of 10 semi-structured interviews with the most prominent female sports journalists in Sweden. The sports journalists in this study express that there has been a change in the media industry, resulting in a better understanding of women’s working conditions within the industry. Even so, the work is still grounded in a culture signified by hegemonic masculinity, where women need to find their own strategies to build a successful career, handle harassment, and cope with other gender-related challenges.

Powering into a new role as hospital director from outside the profession.

Julie Davis started her working life as a sports journalist then sought a change of direction and joined the NHS. Fifteen years later she is now applying her skills and knowledge in a veterinary referral hospital.

“It’s a Balancing Act”: Contradictory Ambitions of Journalistic Media in Addressing Harassment in Sport

Over the last five years, the Finnish sports media has played a key role in disseminating information and stimulating debate on gender equity, sexual harassment, and the structures and culture that perpetuate the latter in sport. Triggered by the Me Too movement, the handling of harassment cases has shifted from the private domain to the public debate in the media, making it political. In this article, I study the perception of the politicisation of harassment within sports media. The article utilises interviews with 16 Finnish sports journalists who have been reporting on harassment cases in national and regional media houses. In the thematic analysis, the facilitators and constraints of harassment reporting are examined in relation to the prevailing power structures, culture, and attitudes in the professional sports environment. While the interviews highlight the changing face of sports journalism and, within it, an ambition to move from entertainment and performance reporting to socio-politically critical journalism, the article also highlights the problematic contradictions embedded in the ambition within sports media to address harassment in sport. The findings of this research suggest that when studying the outcomes of news reporting, it is important to pay attention to news production processes and the gendered aspects that influence them.

Journalistic Framing of Finnish Ice Hockey Club Jokerit in the Russian-Led Kontinental Hockey League

One of the major franchises in Finland’s top division in men’s ice hockey (Liiga), Jokerit Helsinki, sold its home arena and half of its shares to Finnish-Russian oligarchs in 2013. Jokerit also switched to the Russian-led Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and competed there from 2014 to 2022. Russia’s KHL project and its expansion to the West can be viewed as a form of soft power. This study delves into the journalistic coverage of Jokerit during two specific periods: Its early days in the KHL and its later stages when exiting the league. These periods coincide with critical geopolitical events, such as Russia’s annexation of Crimea (2014), Belarusian protests (2020–2021), and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (2022). Our data consists of Jokerit-related articles in the newspaper <em>Helsingin Sanomat</em> as well as interviews of the journalists who followed the team closely. We explore the critical socio-political coverage of Jokerit in <em>Helsingin Sanomat</em> during these periods and investigate whether the sports journalists recognized the broader geopolitical context of the KHL project and, if so, how this influenced their reporting. Utilizing the framing theory, we identified five frames under which to divide the articles: (a) sports events, (b) international relations, (c) power and governance, (d) business, and (e) unity. The sports event frame predominated during the early KHL era, whereas international relations and power and governance frames only emerged later. These shifts were not initiated by sports journalists but resulted from the efforts of journalists in other fields and increased the societal scrutiny of ties to Russia.

From Social Clubs to Champions for Sports Journalistic Identity and Integrity

Taking the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as a point of departure, this article analyses the changing role of national associations of sports journalists in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Introducing the concept of meta-journalistic discourse and well-established media system theories, it is argued that Nordic sports journalism’s negotiations of professional practices and standards are shaped by a particular media systemic context with distinct Nordic welfare state-oriented features. One such feature is a tradition of using collective, organized social groups, like democratically based voluntary associations, as instruments for social change. The empirical study explores this through a qualitative thematic analysis of the changing structures, identities, and practices of the national associations of sports journalists across the three countries. This illustrates how the organizations in particular during the last two decades have started very similar processes of transformation away from being mainly social clubs. The associations have used their collective frameworks and bargaining power to ensure independent journalists’ access to sports organizations and athletes, and they have engaged in negotiations of what sports journalism is and what constitutes sports journalism in a sports media landscape shaped by strong combined forces of digitization and politicization.

From gamification to personalization: sports media, Web 3.0 and the desire for the ultimate fan experience

PurposeThe purpose of this essay is to explore the ramifications of Web 3.0 on sports media and the desire for the ultimate fan experience.Design/methodology/approachThe essay explains how Web 3.0 will influence (1) the social TV experience, (2) the drive for zero latency in sports streaming, (3) the desire for exclusive sports memorabilia and experiences, (4) artificial intelligence-driven content and (5) the potential decentralization of certain elements within the sports media ecosphere.FindingsThe core fan experience will still be recognizable, but AI, VR, blockchain and other elements will be infused within it.Originality/valueRamifications on sports media scholarships are offered.

Examınatıon of The Relatıonshıp Between Fans' Opınıons On The Source Of Vıolence In Football And Levels Of Identıfıcatıon In Sports

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between fans' views on the sources of violence in football and their levels of identification with sports. A total of 283 participants, including 252 males and 31 females, took part in the survey, and the results were analyzed. Since the data showed a normal distribution, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Independent t-tests were used. Pearson Correlation test was used to determine the relationship between the sub-dimensions of the scale. According to the findings of the study, there was a positive weak relationship between identification and the sub-dimensions of violence associated with sports media, referee decisions, coaches and managers, and athlete behaviors (p

‘Cheating’ your way to the top: a focus on language in the Australian media’s representation of performance enhancing drugs

Sports media holds significant power in informing societal views on performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) which are routinely depicted through the ideals of morality and expected sporting behaviours. This has provided an emergent focus for research studies. This study aims to identify how the Australian media frames PEDs across a diverse range of media sources through the selection of five print and online media publications. Using media framing, agenda setting and content analysis, the study analyses the language and framing each publication used to report on individuals and countries associated with, linked to, or found to be using, PEDs. Observed writing styles positioned PEDs as moral transgressions which tarnish the ‘spirit of sport’. Such writing revealed the media’s self-imposed responsibility to define acceptable sporting acts for the community. This manuscript critiques the negative impact of the media’s imbalanced debate and calls for a more balanced approaching to reporting.

Playing (& Smoking) by the Rules: Sport Media’s Racialized Coverage of Athlete Drug Use

Sports media research has often found that athletes are depicted differently based on stereotypes attached to their racialized bodies, and often along a Black/white racial binary. Furthermore, Black men often receive more and harsher penalties for drug use compared to all other racial and gender categories. Using critical discourse analysis, this study explores how NFL athletes who either openly admitted to using illicit drugs or failed National Football League (NFL)-mandated drug tests were covered by sports media. Four NFL athletes (two Black, two white) were selected based on their prominence — Josh Gordon, Randy Gregory, Chris Long, and Aaron Rodgers. The findings tell us that the selected Black athletes were often demonized in coverage by being portrayed as addicts or criminals and objectified as commodities whose value rose and fell with each suspension/return. Additionally, journalists often deployed neoliberal logics to both criticize and defend Black and white athletes. The white athletes in the study were portrayed as intellectuals looking to challenge the NFL’s authority, “good person(s),” and went unpunished for their drug admittance. This study finds that monolithic coverage of athletes is not fair, however the stereotypical notions of the Black/white binary are present when analyzing media discourse on athletic drug use.

Journalism or activism? Black journalists’ collaboration with the Brazilian Observatory of Racial Discrimination in Football in the Brazilian sports media

Journalism or activism? Black journalists’ collaboration with the Brazilian Observatory of Racial Discrimination in Football in the Brazilian sports media