Pub Date : 2025-12-09DOI: 10.1177/21674795251408024
Zoe Tzanis
This study explores the digital labor and working practices of endurance athletes in ultra, trail, and triathlon sports. Drawing on 25 semi-structured interviews with athletes and their agents, I examine how these individuals navigate shifting boundaries of professionalism and identity shaped by an evolving media landscape, cultural pressures to self-brand, and a sport that glorifies pain. I introduce the concept of the athlete-creative to capture how contemporary athletes combine creative and athletic labor, engaging in storytelling and meaning-making that emphasizes depth, authenticity, and artistry. These practices enable athletes to construct visible and viable careers but also normalize boundless work and constant sharing, with physical, emotional, and temporal consequences. I situate these labors as forms of boundary work through which athlete-creatives distinguish themselves from both influencers and amateurs, producing a professional identity that is disciplined, human, and exceptional.
{"title":"The Emergence of the Athlete-Creative: Negotiating Boundaries in Digital Sports Media","authors":"Zoe Tzanis","doi":"10.1177/21674795251408024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251408024","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores the digital labor and working practices of endurance athletes in ultra, trail, and triathlon sports. Drawing on 25 semi-structured interviews with athletes and their agents, I examine how these individuals navigate shifting boundaries of professionalism and identity shaped by an evolving media landscape, cultural pressures to self-brand, and a sport that glorifies pain. I introduce the concept of the athlete-creative to capture how contemporary athletes combine creative and athletic labor, engaging in storytelling and meaning-making that emphasizes depth, authenticity, and artistry. These practices enable athletes to construct visible and viable careers but also normalize boundless work and constant sharing, with physical, emotional, and temporal consequences. I situate these labors as forms of boundary work through which athlete-creatives distinguish themselves from both influencers and amateurs, producing a professional identity that is disciplined, human, and exceptional.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"240 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145711310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1177/21674795251404898
Tuan Anh Vu, Chau Ngoc Bao Nguyen, Anh Quang Nguyen, Binh Ai Truong
Football in Vietnam functions as more than entertainment; it is a cultural arena where nationalism and collective identity are articulated. In recent years, the naturalization of foreign-born athletes has emerged as both a contentious and strategic policy to enhance national team competitiveness. This article critically examines Vietnamese mainstream media framing of naturalized footballers through intersecting narratives of heroism, symbolic boundaries, and authenticity. The case of Brazilian striker Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes, who assumed the Vietnamese name Nguyễn Xuân Son upon his naturalization in 2024, serves as a focal point. Drawing on 62 articles published between 2020 and 2025, the study employs framing and critical discourse analysis to trace shifts before and after his naturalization. Findings show a recalibration of heroic narratives: media shifted from emphasizing patriotism and sacrifice toward highlighting performance and talent. Yet, symbolic boundary-making persists—naturalized players are celebrated for contributions but marked as “conditional insiders.” Authenticity is increasingly tied to visible loyalty, such as adopting Vietnamese names or singing the national anthem, rather than ancestry. These patterns highlight the dual role of Vietnamese media in broadening and policing national belonging, situating naturalized athletes as both pragmatic assets and symbolic figures in identity formation.
在越南，足球不仅仅是一种娱乐；这是一个民族主义和集体认同得到明确表达的文化舞台。近年来，外籍运动员入籍成为提高国家队竞争力的既有争议又有战略意义的政策。本文通过对英雄主义、象征性边界和真实性的交叉叙述，批判性地审视了越南主流媒体对入籍足球运动员的框架。巴西前锋拉斐尔·贝泽拉·费尔南德斯在2024年入籍时使用了越南语Nguyễn xu n Son的名字，他的情况成为焦点。该研究借鉴了2020年至2025年间发表的62篇文章，采用框架和批判性话语分析来追踪他入籍前后的变化。调查结果显示，英雄叙事出现了重新调整：媒体从强调爱国主义和牺牲转向强调表现和才能。然而，象征性的边界划定仍然存在——归化的参与者因贡献而受到赞扬，但被标记为“有条件的局内人”。真实性越来越多地与可见的忠诚联系在一起，比如取越南名字或唱越南国歌，而不是祖籍。这些模式突出了越南媒体在扩大和维护国家归属感方面的双重作用，将归化运动员定位为身份形成中的实用资产和象征性人物。
{"title":"Narratives of Naturalization of Foreign-Born Football Players in Vietnamese Mainstream Media: The Critical Case Study on Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes","authors":"Tuan Anh Vu, Chau Ngoc Bao Nguyen, Anh Quang Nguyen, Binh Ai Truong","doi":"10.1177/21674795251404898","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251404898","url":null,"abstract":"Football in Vietnam functions as more than entertainment; it is a cultural arena where nationalism and collective identity are articulated. In recent years, the naturalization of foreign-born athletes has emerged as both a contentious and strategic policy to enhance national team competitiveness. This article critically examines Vietnamese mainstream media framing of naturalized footballers through intersecting narratives of heroism, symbolic boundaries, and authenticity. The case of Brazilian striker Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes, who assumed the Vietnamese name Nguyễn Xuân Son upon his naturalization in 2024, serves as a focal point. Drawing on 62 articles published between 2020 and 2025, the study employs framing and critical discourse analysis to trace shifts before and after his naturalization. Findings show a recalibration of heroic narratives: media shifted from emphasizing patriotism and sacrifice toward highlighting performance and talent. Yet, symbolic boundary-making persists—naturalized players are celebrated for contributions but marked as “conditional insiders.” Authenticity is increasingly tied to visible loyalty, such as adopting Vietnamese names or singing the national anthem, rather than ancestry. These patterns highlight the dual role of Vietnamese media in broadening and policing national belonging, situating naturalized athletes as both pragmatic assets and symbolic figures in identity formation.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"115 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145651502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-29DOI: 10.1177/21674795251405757
Veronica Câmpian, Maria Cergă
Elite athletes increasingly act as influential communicators, shaping public conversations on mental health and well-being. By sharing personal struggles, emotional challenges, and recovery experiences, they engage in soft forms of advocacy, humanizing issues, and reducing stigma. This research fills a gap in athlete communication by providing a multi-sport, multi-country, athlete-centered analysis of well-being narratives, focusing on athletes’ own online communications rather than solely on media framing as in previous studies. It advances the field methodologically through the combined use of semantic mapping and sentiment analysis, enabling a gender-comparative, data-driven examination of both thematic framing and emotional tone of these narratives. Namely, this study analyzes verbatim quotes from ten elite European athletes across diverse sports, including tennis, swimming, basketball, football, motorcycling, gymnastics, and weightlifting. Using semantic mapping and sentence-level sentiment analysis, it examines how athletes frame well-being experiences and how narrative tone, and emotional progression differ by gender. Findings reveal gendered patterns: female athletes adopt reflective, resilience-oriented narratives, progressing toward emotional closure, while male athletes display volatile sentiment trajectories, emphasizing performance restoration and control. These insights demonstrate that athlete narratives serve as soft activism, bridging personal experience and gendered expression, with implications for sports organizations, media framing, and health communication strategies.
{"title":"Soft Activism in Sport: Semantic and Sentiment Analysis of Well-Being Narratives Across Elite Multi-Sport Athletes","authors":"Veronica Câmpian, Maria Cergă","doi":"10.1177/21674795251405757","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251405757","url":null,"abstract":"Elite athletes increasingly act as influential communicators, shaping public conversations on mental health and well-being. By sharing personal struggles, emotional challenges, and recovery experiences, they engage in soft forms of advocacy, humanizing issues, and reducing stigma. This research fills a gap in athlete communication by providing a multi-sport, multi-country, athlete-centered analysis of well-being narratives, focusing on athletes’ own online communications rather than solely on media framing as in previous studies. It advances the field methodologically through the combined use of semantic mapping and sentiment analysis, enabling a gender-comparative, data-driven examination of both thematic framing and emotional tone of these narratives. Namely, this study analyzes verbatim quotes from ten elite European athletes across diverse sports, including tennis, swimming, basketball, football, motorcycling, gymnastics, and weightlifting. Using semantic mapping and sentence-level sentiment analysis, it examines how athletes frame well-being experiences and how narrative tone, and emotional progression differ by gender. Findings reveal gendered patterns: female athletes adopt reflective, resilience-oriented narratives, progressing toward emotional closure, while male athletes display volatile sentiment trajectories, emphasizing performance restoration and control. These insights demonstrate that athlete narratives serve as soft activism, bridging personal experience and gendered expression, with implications for sports organizations, media framing, and health communication strategies.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145614130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1177/21674795251403969
Claudia Kozman, George Anghelcev
Using a 12-months-long constructed week sampling strategy, this study relied on a dataset of 456 media articles about the 2022 FIFA World Cup to take an initial step toward operationalizing the concept of sports diplomacy. A preliminary measurement approach was derived from the literature and examined through a content analysis of articles published during the year leading up to the event. Subsequently, the fit of this initial instrument as an empirical measure of sports diplomacy was assessed, and modifications were proposed. In tandem, the study examined sourcing patterns in media articles, focusing on the relationship between sources and sports diplomacy. Findings reveal that mentions of sports diplomacy indicators were scarce and that the construct, as theorized in literature, faced scale reliability issues. Reliability measures improved modestly when we reconceptualized the construct. Importantly, in the rare instances sports diplomacy was used to describe the 2022 World Cup, it was FIFA that advanced this notion, relying primarily on political sources. Sports officials dominated as a source category ahead of businesspeople and political officials. Based on these limited findings, the paper offers a cautious analysis of the construct, drawing on interpretivism to explain the results while inviting further refinement of future measurement efforts.
{"title":"Toward a Measurement Tool for Sports Diplomacy in the News: The Case of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022","authors":"Claudia Kozman, George Anghelcev","doi":"10.1177/21674795251403969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251403969","url":null,"abstract":"Using a 12-months-long constructed week sampling strategy, this study relied on a dataset of 456 media articles about the 2022 FIFA World Cup to take an initial step toward operationalizing the concept of sports diplomacy. A preliminary measurement approach was derived from the literature and examined through a content analysis of articles published during the year leading up to the event. Subsequently, the fit of this initial instrument as an empirical measure of sports diplomacy was assessed, and modifications were proposed. In tandem, the study examined sourcing patterns in media articles, focusing on the relationship between sources and sports diplomacy. Findings reveal that mentions of sports diplomacy indicators were scarce and that the construct, as theorized in literature, faced scale reliability issues. Reliability measures improved modestly when we reconceptualized the construct. Importantly, in the rare instances sports diplomacy was used to describe the 2022 World Cup, it was FIFA that advanced this notion, relying primarily on political sources. Sports officials dominated as a source category ahead of businesspeople and political officials. Based on these limited findings, the paper offers a cautious analysis of the construct, drawing on interpretivism to explain the results while inviting further refinement of future measurement efforts.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"255 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145610999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1177/21674795251397868
Aman Misra, Lori Amber Roessner
This study uses collective memory, second-draft history, and the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine sports coverage of Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC) and the Masters Golf Tournament in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., particularly the George Floyd protests. We analyze 29 articles in the New York Times (a national newspaper of record in the U.S.) and Golf Digest (an access-dependent specialty outlet) between 2020-2025 to examine if these publications engage in journalistic repair and address their own editorial histories of racial exclusion while reporting on the club’s commemoration of Lee Elder as the first Black golfer to play in the tournament in 1975. Findings reveal that both outlets constructed second drafts of history, but did not critically analyze the role of their own newsrooms in reporting histories of racial exclusion at ANGC and the Masters. Moreover, the study contributes to critical sport communication scholarship by showing how national and specialty sport media outlets differ in their reporting of institutional memory and race discourse by selective remembering and reproduction of institutional silences.
{"title":"“At Augusta National, Not Talking About Race Is Tradition”: Race and Journalistic Repair Discourse at the Masters Tournament","authors":"Aman Misra, Lori Amber Roessner","doi":"10.1177/21674795251397868","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251397868","url":null,"abstract":"This study uses collective memory, second-draft history, and the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine sports coverage of Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC) and the Masters Golf Tournament in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., particularly the George Floyd protests. We analyze 29 articles in the <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">New York Times</jats:italic> (a national newspaper of record in the U.S.) and <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Golf Digest</jats:italic> (an access-dependent specialty outlet) between 2020-2025 to examine if these publications engage in journalistic repair and address their own editorial histories of racial exclusion while reporting on the club’s commemoration of Lee Elder as the first Black golfer to play in the tournament in 1975. Findings reveal that both outlets constructed second drafts of history, but did not critically analyze the role of their own newsrooms in reporting histories of racial exclusion at ANGC and the Masters. Moreover, the study contributes to critical sport communication scholarship by showing how national and specialty sport media outlets differ in their reporting of institutional memory and race discourse by selective remembering and reproduction of institutional silences.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"195 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145611000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-26DOI: 10.1177/21674795251401208
Xiao Wang, Ziqi Gong
Drawing upon the dialogic theory, this study examines how English Premier League (EPL) clubs navigate dialogic communication principles on X (formerly Twitter) amid profound economic stratification. Through a quantitative content analysis of 7,105 posts from all 20 EPL clubs during the 2023–2024 season, we reveal how resource disparities between Big Six and non-Big Six clubs reshape relational strategies while uncovering a critical engagement paradox. Results demonstrate that Big Six clubs’ superior implementation of dialogic loops, information usefulness, return visits, and visitor retention, validating resource dependency theory. Counterintuitively, prescribed dialogic tactics, including soliciting input, call-to-action, hashtag/mention engagement, and cross-promotion, consistently suppressed engagement metrics (replies, reposts, likes). Player-centric content emerged as the strongest universal engagement driver, while corporate messaging reduced audience connection. The chasm in engagement volume between club tiers transcended content strategy, reflecting structural advantages in global reach and algorithmic privilege. These findings challenge dialogic theory’s core assumption that interactivity inherently fosters relational depth, revealing instead that platform-native fandom prioritizes consumptive authenticity over manufactured dialogue. Theoretical and practical implications of this study were also discussed.
{"title":"When Dialogue Backfires: Economic Stratification and Engagement Paradoxes in English Premier League Clubs’ Dialogic Communication on X","authors":"Xiao Wang, Ziqi Gong","doi":"10.1177/21674795251401208","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251401208","url":null,"abstract":"Drawing upon the dialogic theory, this study examines how English Premier League (EPL) clubs navigate dialogic communication principles on X (formerly Twitter) amid profound economic stratification. Through a quantitative content analysis of 7,105 posts from all 20 EPL clubs during the 2023–2024 season, we reveal how resource disparities between Big Six and non-Big Six clubs reshape relational strategies while uncovering a critical engagement paradox. Results demonstrate that Big Six clubs’ superior implementation of dialogic loops, information usefulness, return visits, and visitor retention, validating resource dependency theory. Counterintuitively, prescribed dialogic tactics, including soliciting input, call-to-action, hashtag/mention engagement, and cross-promotion, consistently suppressed engagement metrics (replies, reposts, likes). Player-centric content emerged as the strongest universal engagement driver, while corporate messaging reduced audience connection. The chasm in engagement volume between club tiers transcended content strategy, reflecting structural advantages in global reach and algorithmic privilege. These findings challenge dialogic theory’s core assumption that interactivity inherently fosters relational depth, revealing instead that platform-native fandom prioritizes consumptive authenticity over manufactured dialogue. Theoretical and practical implications of this study were also discussed.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"136 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145599927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-21DOI: 10.1177/21674795251401534
Youngtaek Oh, Min-Ah Ryu, Jun-Phil Uhm
Combat sports, often associated with intensity and aggression, can benefit from a more engaging and entertaining media presentation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of integrating AR-infused gamification, with game-like features, into combat sports presentations on perceptions of violence, enjoyment, and viewers’ intentions for continuous viewing. A between-subjects online experiment was conducted, comparing participants’ responses to gamified versus non-gamified combat sport footage. A total of 115 participants were randomly assigned into two groups, and perceived violence, enjoyment, and intention to watch combat sports were compared between gamified TAEKWONDO and conventional TAEKWONDO, using analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of covariance, controlling for involvement. The results showed that the integration of game-like features significantly mitigated perceived violence associated with combat sports. It also fostered a more enjoyable viewing experience, ultimately heightening intentions to watch combat sports content when presented with gamified elements. This research contributes to both practice and theory by shedding light on the transformative potential of AR-infused gamification in altering perceptions in combat sports. The findings provide valuable insights for scholars and managers aiming to enhance engagement and reshape perceptions in combat sports media.
{"title":"Are Combat Sports Too Violent? Effects of Counter-Balancing Perceptions of Violence Through AR-Infused Gamification","authors":"Youngtaek Oh, Min-Ah Ryu, Jun-Phil Uhm","doi":"10.1177/21674795251401534","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251401534","url":null,"abstract":"Combat sports, often associated with intensity and aggression, can benefit from a more engaging and entertaining media presentation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of integrating AR-infused gamification, with game-like features, into combat sports presentations on perceptions of violence, enjoyment, and viewers’ intentions for continuous viewing. A between-subjects online experiment was conducted, comparing participants’ responses to gamified versus non-gamified combat sport footage. A total of 115 participants were randomly assigned into two groups, and perceived violence, enjoyment, and intention to watch combat sports were compared between gamified TAEKWONDO and conventional TAEKWONDO, using analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of covariance, controlling for involvement. The results showed that the integration of game-like features significantly mitigated perceived violence associated with combat sports. It also fostered a more enjoyable viewing experience, ultimately heightening intentions to watch combat sports content when presented with gamified elements. This research contributes to both practice and theory by shedding light on the transformative potential of AR-infused gamification in altering perceptions in combat sports. The findings provide valuable insights for scholars and managers aiming to enhance engagement and reshape perceptions in combat sports media.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"187 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145575701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-13DOI: 10.1177/21674795251398441
David McGillivray, Naheed Akhtar, Emma Reid
The literature on sport event leveraging suggests that these events can play an important role in addressing social inequities when planned carefully and utilizing the media to promote key messages. However, relatively little is known about how effectively sport event organizers and their partners make use of social media platforms to achieve these ambitions and what dominant discourses are perpetuated in the process. Drawing on a case study of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships held in Scotland, this paper explores how event organizers and their partners used strategic social media messaging to promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) discourses before, during and after the event. We draw on leveraging theory and a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA) of social media posts by event stakeholders and find that while EDI messaging was evident, it was inconsistent, overly generalized and failed to recognize the systemic injustices faced by marginalized groups. We conclude that, given the resources available to organizers and their partners, greater attention needs to be paid to how coherent social media messaging can be utilized to more effectively address social inequities.
{"title":"Strategic Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Messaging Through Sport Events: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis of a Mega Cycling Event","authors":"David McGillivray, Naheed Akhtar, Emma Reid","doi":"10.1177/21674795251398441","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251398441","url":null,"abstract":"The literature on sport event leveraging suggests that these events can play an important role in addressing social inequities when planned carefully and utilizing the media to promote key messages. However, relatively little is known about how effectively sport event organizers and their partners make use of social media platforms to achieve these ambitions and what dominant discourses are perpetuated in the process. Drawing on a case study of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships held in Scotland, this paper explores how event organizers and their partners used strategic social media messaging to promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) discourses before, during and after the event. We draw on leveraging theory and a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA) of social media posts by event stakeholders and find that while EDI messaging was evident, it was inconsistent, overly generalized and failed to recognize the systemic injustices faced by marginalized groups. We conclude that, given the resources available to organizers and their partners, greater attention needs to be paid to how coherent social media messaging can be utilized to more effectively address social inequities.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145498990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-10DOI: 10.1177/21674795251394946
Christopher J. Cox, Jeffrey W. Kassing
There has been significant research into how migration corridors and flows have shaped football today, with specific consideration of athletes from the global south moving to domestic clubs and leagues in the global north, particularly Europe. Such processes have allowed players to overcome socioeconomic adversities and build their skills and experience, contributing greatly to building their career profiles. However, such flows often have exacerbated local sports development challenges in the global south, particularly Africa, and have contributed to the continued dominance of the sport by the global north. This study examines the flipside of sports migration, examining ‘reverse flow’ migration. This occurs when players from diasporic communities situated in the global north return to their ancestral homelands to play for the national team. We consider this with specific regard to the case of Morocco’s Atlas Lions. Utilizing media framing analysis, we explore this phenomenon at two key recent events where Morocco made significant accomplishments: the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Our study reflects the major role diaspora can play in places like Morocco for redressing historic sporting limitations, challenging global football norms, and enhancing international football profiles.
{"title":"Reversing the Flow: Morocco’s Harnessing of Diasporic Talent and the Recent Success of the Atlas Lions in International Football","authors":"Christopher J. Cox, Jeffrey W. Kassing","doi":"10.1177/21674795251394946","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251394946","url":null,"abstract":"There has been significant research into how migration corridors and flows have shaped football today, with specific consideration of athletes from the global south moving to domestic clubs and leagues in the global north, particularly Europe. Such processes have allowed players to overcome socioeconomic adversities and build their skills and experience, contributing greatly to building their career profiles. However, such flows often have exacerbated local sports development challenges in the global south, particularly Africa, and have contributed to the continued dominance of the sport by the global north. This study examines the flipside of sports migration, examining ‘reverse flow’ migration. This occurs when players from diasporic communities situated in the global north return to their ancestral homelands to play for the national team. We consider this with specific regard to the case of Morocco’s Atlas Lions. Utilizing media framing analysis, we explore this phenomenon at two key recent events where Morocco made significant accomplishments: the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Our study reflects the major role diaspora can play in places like Morocco for redressing historic sporting limitations, challenging global football norms, and enhancing international football profiles.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"169 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145478291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-05DOI: 10.1177/21674795251392858
Birgit Braumüller, Astrid Schubring
Sports journalism reflects and reinforces broader societal gender norms, with newsrooms remaining male-dominated despite more women entering the profession of (sports) journalism. This systematic scoping review synthesizes two decades (2003-2023) of empirical research on gender (in)equality in sports journalism. Following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, 1148 records were found across four databases, and 29 empirical peer-reviewed journal articles that met predefined inclusion criteria were analyzed. Data were extracted with a structured coding scheme and synthesized through thematic analysis to map (1) the research field on gender (in)equality in sports journalism, (2) knowledge on gendered work conditions and their implications, and (3) experiences of discrimination, harassment and exclusion. The review shows a concentration of studies in North America and Europe as well as qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. Findings reveal persistent gendered work conditions, including masculine norms, assignments of jobs/topics, and double standards, which limit women’s career advancement. Apart from that, many women experience discrimination, harassment and exclusion, both offline and online, often leading to coping strategies that normalize or downplay mistreatment. By systematically consolidating evidence, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the state of knowledge on gender (in)equality in sports journalism, underscoring the persistence of gendered structures.
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