Pub Date : 2025-05-08DOI: 10.1177/21674795251341309
Elisabetta Zengaro, Heather J. Carmack
Retirement from sport can be one of the most difficult transitions for athletes who must cope with the loss of athlete identity in redefining their purpose outside of sports. Prior research has indicated the life after sports phase can pose mental health challenges in terms of identity crisis, depression, and anxiety for former athletes who cannot successfully navigate this transition. Guided by the Meaning Making Model, the following qualitative study adds to the literature by exploring how former NCAA and NAIA collegiate athletes describe their identity and how their experiences shaped their attitudes of mental health during life after sports. This research followed a narrative inquiry approach based on individual semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a total of 25 former collegiate athletes enrolled at various NCAA and NAIA institutions. Results led to an overall narrative that is presented in the analysis, “Life After Sports: Navigating Identity and Mental Health After Sports.” Results indicated participants’ difficulty in navigating life after sports, along with a new awareness of mental health once removed from competition, the implications of which are discussed.
{"title":"“It’s Your Whole Life:” Navigating Identity and Mental Health in Life after Sports","authors":"Elisabetta Zengaro, Heather J. Carmack","doi":"10.1177/21674795251341309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251341309","url":null,"abstract":"Retirement from sport can be one of the most difficult transitions for athletes who must cope with the loss of athlete identity in redefining their purpose outside of sports. Prior research has indicated the life after sports phase can pose mental health challenges in terms of identity crisis, depression, and anxiety for former athletes who cannot successfully navigate this transition. Guided by the Meaning Making Model, the following qualitative study adds to the literature by exploring how former NCAA and NAIA collegiate athletes describe their identity and how their experiences shaped their attitudes of mental health during life after sports. This research followed a narrative inquiry approach based on individual semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a total of 25 former collegiate athletes enrolled at various NCAA and NAIA institutions. Results led to an overall narrative that is presented in the analysis, “Life After Sports: Navigating Identity and Mental Health After Sports.” Results indicated participants’ difficulty in navigating life after sports, along with a new awareness of mental health once removed from competition, the implications of which are discussed.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143927320","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 : 2025-05-05DOI: 10.1177/21674795251340354
Keeley Lappin, Osman Hassan Ahmed, Karen A Sullivan
Sport-concussion is an established concern amongst athletes, sports bodies, and the wider society. Many sports now have concussion-specific protocols, such as the Head Injury Assessment for suspected concussion (SC) in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL). Further focus on sport-concussion comes via live broadcasting, which exposes large audiences to concussion, including commentary about it. Whilst previous studies have raised public health concerns about sport-concussion commentary, it is unclear if this problem persists, and a method for quantifying the issue has been lacking. This study followed established test-development processes to construct and psychometrically test a new Checklist for Accurate and Responsible Sport-concussion Commentary (CARSCC). Items were derived from relevant literature, refined through health professional expert review, and found to have excellent interrater reliability and convergent validity. Two independent scorers used the CARSCC to evaluate the commentary of 15 randomly selected SCs from the 2024 NRL season. Eight SCs had commentary that was found to have both strengths and weaknesses, with none receiving full marks. Six SCs had no or very brief commentary, and four commentaries scored zero. There is room to improve concussion commentary in live sports broadcasting of NRL games, particularly referencing player safety and concussion protocols. Future applications of the CARSCC include as a field guide for commentators, or in training for accurate and responsible SC messaging.
{"title":"Talking About Concussion and Getting It Right: Towards the Development and Psychometric Properties of a Checklist for Accurate and Responsible Sport-Concussion Commentary","authors":"Keeley Lappin, Osman Hassan Ahmed, Karen A Sullivan","doi":"10.1177/21674795251340354","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251340354","url":null,"abstract":"Sport-concussion is an established concern amongst athletes, sports bodies, and the wider society. Many sports now have concussion-specific protocols, such as the Head Injury Assessment for suspected concussion (SC) in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL). Further focus on sport-concussion comes via live broadcasting, which exposes large audiences to concussion, including commentary about it. Whilst previous studies have raised public health concerns about sport-concussion commentary, it is unclear if this problem persists, and a method for quantifying the issue has been lacking. This study followed established test-development processes to construct and psychometrically test a new Checklist for Accurate and Responsible Sport-concussion Commentary (CARSCC). Items were derived from relevant literature, refined through health professional expert review, and found to have excellent interrater reliability and convergent validity. Two independent scorers used the CARSCC to evaluate the commentary of 15 randomly selected SCs from the 2024 NRL season. Eight SCs had commentary that was found to have both strengths and weaknesses, with none receiving full marks. Six SCs had no or very brief commentary, and four commentaries scored zero. There is room to improve concussion commentary in live sports broadcasting of NRL games, particularly referencing player safety and concussion protocols. Future applications of the CARSCC include as a field guide for commentators, or in training for accurate and responsible SC messaging.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"113 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909812","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 : 2025-05-05DOI: 10.1177/21674795251340275
Chris Corr, Molly Harry, Sarah Stokowski, Brandon Boatwright
As name, image, and likeness (NIL) continues to be a fixture within conversations surrounding collegiate athletics, the present study sought to examine the manner in which local television media in the United States framed NIL during news broadcasts. Through the lens of media framing, researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of all local television broadcast content across the United States during the Fall of 2024. This analysis identified 1677 local news segments in which the term “NIL” or phrase “name, image, and likeness” were spoken on-air. Analysis revealed a similar proportion of comments that framed NIL as a positive change in collegiate athletics ( promotion ) and negative alteration to collegiate athletics ( disruption ). The findings of this study allude to the nature in which NIL is presented on local television in distinct geographic communities and is of practical significance to collegiate administrators given the strategic importance of distinct geographic communities to NIL efforts.
{"title":"The Local Perspective: Regional Television Framing of Name, Image, and Likeness","authors":"Chris Corr, Molly Harry, Sarah Stokowski, Brandon Boatwright","doi":"10.1177/21674795251340275","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251340275","url":null,"abstract":"As name, image, and likeness (NIL) continues to be a fixture within conversations surrounding collegiate athletics, the present study sought to examine the manner in which local television media in the United States framed NIL during news broadcasts. Through the lens of media framing, researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of all local television broadcast content across the United States during the Fall of 2024. This analysis identified 1677 local news segments in which the term “NIL” or phrase “name, image, and likeness” were spoken on-air. Analysis revealed a similar proportion of comments that framed NIL as a positive change in collegiate athletics ( <jats:italic>promotion</jats:italic> ) and negative alteration to collegiate athletics ( <jats:italic>disruption</jats:italic> ). The findings of this study allude to the nature in which NIL is presented on local television in distinct geographic communities and is of practical significance to collegiate administrators given the strategic importance of distinct geographic communities to NIL efforts.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"98 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909813","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}
The present study aims to examine the determinants of users’ attitude and behavioral intention (BI) toward continuous usage of fantasy cricket apps (FCA) based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a research framework. Applying a non-probabilistic sampling technique, the survey data was collected through a structured questionnaire circulated to 320 users of fantasy cricket apps (FCA), just after Indian Premier League season 17, but during International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, held in June 2024. The findings reveal that monetary gain has emerged as the leading determinant of forming users’ attitude towards using FCA, followed by knowledge, cricket fandom, and celebrity trustworthiness. Notably, users’ behavioral intention (BI) towards continuous usage of FCA is majorly determined by attitude, followed by perceived behavioral control and subjective norms. Results have also shown that users’ attitude mediates the relationship of cricket fandom, celebrity trustworthiness, knowledge, and monetary gain with their BI towards continuously using FCA. This study offers an important theoretical contribution to the literature of fantasy sport and also provides several managerial implications to gaming app companies, which help them understand what drives users’ attitude and BI toward continuous usage of FCA and make appropriate strategies encouraging sports fans to use FCA and play fantasy cricket continuously and entertaining themselves.
{"title":"What Determines Attitude and Intention Toward Continuous Usage of Fantasy Cricket Apps? Evidence From Cricket-Loving Country","authors":"Manisha Saini, Vinay Sharma, Pankaj Kumar, Pardeep Ahlawat, Anil Khurana, Sapna Rana","doi":"10.1177/21674795251338692","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251338692","url":null,"abstract":"The present study aims to examine the determinants of users’ attitude and behavioral intention (BI) toward continuous usage of fantasy cricket apps (FCA) based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a research framework. Applying a non-probabilistic sampling technique, the survey data was collected through a structured questionnaire circulated to 320 users of fantasy cricket apps (FCA), just after Indian Premier League season 17, but during International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, held in June 2024. The findings reveal that monetary gain has emerged as the leading determinant of forming users’ attitude towards using FCA, followed by knowledge, cricket fandom, and celebrity trustworthiness. Notably, users’ behavioral intention (BI) towards continuous usage of FCA is majorly determined by attitude, followed by perceived behavioral control and subjective norms. Results have also shown that users’ attitude mediates the relationship of cricket fandom, celebrity trustworthiness, knowledge, and monetary gain with their BI towards continuously using FCA. This study offers an important theoretical contribution to the literature of fantasy sport and also provides several managerial implications to gaming app companies, which help them understand what drives users’ attitude and BI toward continuous usage of FCA and make appropriate strategies encouraging sports fans to use FCA and play fantasy cricket continuously and entertaining themselves.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"109 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143902918","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 : 2025-04-30DOI: 10.1177/21674795251339902
Andrew C. Billings
{"title":"Formative Knowledge at the Youth and University Levels: Communication and Sport Within Unique National Contexts","authors":"Andrew C. Billings","doi":"10.1177/21674795251339902","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251339902","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143893536","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 : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1177/21674795251334398
Zikun Li
This study foregrounds the voices of Olympic refugee athletes by critically examining how they present themselves on Instagram. Using a mixed methods approach, this research analyzed 25 publicly accessible verified athlete accounts, including profile bios, captions, hashtags, emojis, images, and videos. The content analysis revealed that athletes predominantly identify as “Olympian” or “Athlete”. Moreover, their multidimensional and diverse narratives resist the alienation and perceived inferiority perpetuated by reductive media framings. The thematic analysis identified six key themes: (1) resilience and perseverance, (2) personal growth through sports and the Olympics, (3) representation, pride, and achievement, (4) support system and gratitude, (5) advocacy for social justice and peace, and (6) cultural identity and homeland attachment. Their online self-presentation reveals an intricate interplay where resistance to reductive media framings that flatten and isolate the “refugee” identity is both enabled and constrained by athletes’ privileged access to symbolic and institutional resources. By critically analyzing this interplay, this study advances understanding of how representation, resistance, and social advocacy intersect in the digital age. It acknowledges the potential of athletes’ social media to challenge legacy media framings and foster humanizing and nuanced perceptions of marginalized identities, while recognizing that these efforts remain shaped by systemic constraints.
{"title":"Reclaim Pride and Dignity within Neoliberal and Olympic Ideals: An Analysis of Olympic Refugee Athletes' Self-Presentation on Instagram","authors":"Zikun Li","doi":"10.1177/21674795251334398","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251334398","url":null,"abstract":"This study foregrounds the voices of Olympic refugee athletes by critically examining how they present themselves on Instagram. Using a mixed methods approach, this research analyzed 25 publicly accessible verified athlete accounts, including profile bios, captions, hashtags, emojis, images, and videos. The content analysis revealed that athletes predominantly identify as “Olympian” or “Athlete”. Moreover, their multidimensional and diverse narratives resist the alienation and perceived inferiority perpetuated by reductive media framings. The thematic analysis identified six key themes: (1) resilience and perseverance, (2) personal growth through sports and the Olympics, (3) representation, pride, and achievement, (4) support system and gratitude, (5) advocacy for social justice and peace, and (6) cultural identity and homeland attachment. Their online self-presentation reveals an intricate interplay where resistance to reductive media framings that flatten and isolate the “refugee” identity is both enabled and constrained by athletes’ privileged access to symbolic and institutional resources. By critically analyzing this interplay, this study advances understanding of how representation, resistance, and social advocacy intersect in the digital age. It acknowledges the potential of athletes’ social media to challenge legacy media framings and foster humanizing and nuanced perceptions of marginalized identities, while recognizing that these efforts remain shaped by systemic constraints.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143872791","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 : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1177/21674795251336663
Ali Forbes, Sada Reed
When NBA 2K20 was released in 2019, it was the first time Women’s National Basketball Association players were included in the game. This study’s lead author conducted ethnographic fieldwork and 17 semi-structured interviews with American and Canadian NBA 2K players to explore how the presence or absence of female avatars influence male players’ perceptions of who plays the game, and in what ways NBA 2K serves as a platform for fostering or hindering female gamers’ participation in competitive gaming spaces. Since the game only had male avatars, participants often assumed their opponents were male. Female gamers said it wasn’t unheard of for NBA 2K players to exit the game when they realize there was a female player competing against them. In order to avoid this and other forms of harassment, women said they tried to change their voices in game chats to avoid being identified as women. In many cases, a male ally acted as a shield from such online harassment.
{"title":"‘I Would Pretend to be a Dude’: NBA 2K Gamers’ Motivations, Use of WNBA Features, and Experiences With Harassment","authors":"Ali Forbes, Sada Reed","doi":"10.1177/21674795251336663","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251336663","url":null,"abstract":"When NBA 2K20 was released in 2019, it was the first time Women’s National Basketball Association players were included in the game. This study’s lead author conducted ethnographic fieldwork and 17 semi-structured interviews with American and Canadian NBA 2K players to explore how the presence or absence of female avatars influence male players’ perceptions of who plays the game, and in what ways NBA 2K serves as a platform for fostering or hindering female gamers’ participation in competitive gaming spaces. Since the game only had male avatars, participants often assumed their opponents were male. Female gamers said it wasn’t unheard of for NBA 2K players to exit the game when they realize there was a female player competing against them. In order to avoid this and other forms of harassment, women said they tried to change their voices in game chats to avoid being identified as women. In many cases, a male ally acted as a shield from such online harassment.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143872774","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 : 2025-04-21DOI: 10.1177/21674795251333299
Kenon A. Brown
A key observation from Cummins and Hahn’s (2024) systematic review of the first ten volumes of Communication & Sport is that there is a lack of studies that employ human subjects. In response to this finding, this essay makes a case to consider using methodologies that employ human subjects more frequently to further advance the field of sport communication. The essay begins by exploring some of the reasons studies using human subjects are avoided, followed by a discussion about barriers that can be difficult to navigate when conducting studies using human subjects. This leads into recommendations that might be useful to those who see value in employing methodologies that rely on human subjects more in their work.
{"title":"Addressing the 37 Percent: A Call for Using More Human Subjects in Empirical Sport Communication Studies","authors":"Kenon A. Brown","doi":"10.1177/21674795251333299","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251333299","url":null,"abstract":"A key observation from Cummins and Hahn’s (2024) systematic review of the first ten volumes of <jats:italic>Communication & Sport</jats:italic> is that there is a lack of studies that employ human subjects. In response to this finding, this essay makes a case to consider using methodologies that employ human subjects more frequently to further advance the field of sport communication. The essay begins by exploring some of the reasons studies using human subjects are avoided, followed by a discussion about barriers that can be difficult to navigate when conducting studies using human subjects. This leads into recommendations that might be useful to those who see value in employing methodologies that rely on human subjects more in their work.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"108 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143853631","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 : 2025-04-20DOI: 10.1177/21674795251330480
Omar Daoudi, Jason Gainous, Syed Ali Hussain, Khaled Zamoum
This study offers a comparative quantitative analysis of media bias in the coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by The Guardian and the New York Times versus Al Jazeera English . Utilizing a combination of sentiment analysis and topic modeling, the research assesses narrative tones and framing across these outlets during the Mega-event itself. The findings reveal that Western media consistently politicized the event, focusing on human rights and workers’ rights to highlight value conflicts, thereby transforming sports reporting into political discourse. In contrast, Al Jazeera downplayed political issues that did not align with its interests, instead emphasizing the unifying and celebratory aspects of the World Cup and when addressing the political issues doing so through a less critical, and even defensive, frame of Qatar. This study demonstrates how media framing - through politicization or selective omission - reflects underlying biases, interests, shaping global perceptions and reinforcing divergent worldviews. The analysis highlights the need for a more balanced approach in sports journalism to more accurately represent both the events and their broader implications.
{"title":"Media Bias in Sports Journalism: A Comparative Study of Qatar 2022 World Cup Coverage","authors":"Omar Daoudi, Jason Gainous, Syed Ali Hussain, Khaled Zamoum","doi":"10.1177/21674795251330480","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251330480","url":null,"abstract":"This study offers a comparative quantitative analysis of media bias in the coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by <jats:italic>The Guardian</jats:italic> and the <jats:italic>New York Times</jats:italic> versus <jats:italic>Al Jazeera English</jats:italic> . Utilizing a combination of sentiment analysis and topic modeling, the research assesses narrative tones and framing across these outlets during the Mega-event itself. The findings reveal that Western media consistently politicized the event, focusing on human rights and workers’ rights to highlight value conflicts, thereby transforming sports reporting into political discourse. In contrast, <jats:italic>Al Jazeera</jats:italic> downplayed political issues that did not align with its interests, instead emphasizing the unifying and celebratory aspects of the World Cup and when addressing the political issues doing so through a less critical, and even defensive, frame of Qatar. This study demonstrates how media framing - through politicization or selective omission - reflects underlying biases, interests, shaping global perceptions and reinforcing divergent worldviews. The analysis highlights the need for a more balanced approach in sports journalism to more accurately represent both the events and their broader implications.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143851038","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 : 2025-04-18DOI: 10.1177/21674795251334042
Julia C. Richmond, Travis R. Bell
Louisiana State University (LSU) basketball coach Kim Mulkey held an unorthodox press conference in March 2024 to discredit The Washington Post , journalist Kent Babb, and the state of journalism while addressing an unreleased news article. Mulkey’s scripted moment was constructed as a mediated pseudo-event that positioned her and the newspaper in opposition through a crisis communication approach known as stealing thunder. Interestingly, this press conference was constructed for a traditional media audience, though one that circulates the message through social media for interpretation. This discourse analysis traces unfolding digital conversations on the social media platform X across 4209 tweets as users co-construct their reactions. This vacuum of information allowed social media users to construct three discourses around Mulkey’s press conference: curious hype, polarizing Mulkey, and journalistic merit. These discourses served express purposes that generated user-based hype, reiterated existing opinions that users had about Mulkey and/or The Washington Post , or considered the broader role of journalism in reporting about sports. Implications for public relations practitioners are discussed.
{"title":"Kim Mulkey, The Washington Post , and a Stealing Thunder Pseudo-Event During the 2024 NCAA Tournament","authors":"Julia C. Richmond, Travis R. Bell","doi":"10.1177/21674795251334042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251334042","url":null,"abstract":"Louisiana State University (LSU) basketball coach Kim Mulkey held an unorthodox press conference in March 2024 to discredit <jats:italic>The Washington Post</jats:italic> , journalist Kent Babb, and the state of journalism while addressing an unreleased news article. Mulkey’s scripted moment was constructed as a mediated pseudo-event that positioned her and the newspaper in opposition through a crisis communication approach known as stealing thunder. Interestingly, this press conference was constructed for a traditional media audience, though one that circulates the message through social media for interpretation. This discourse analysis traces unfolding digital conversations on the social media platform X across 4209 tweets as users co-construct their reactions. This vacuum of information allowed social media users to construct three discourses around Mulkey’s press conference: curious hype, polarizing Mulkey, and journalistic merit. These discourses served express purposes that generated user-based hype, reiterated existing opinions that users had about Mulkey and/or <jats:italic>The Washington Post</jats:italic> , or considered the broader role of journalism in reporting about sports. Implications for public relations practitioners are discussed.","PeriodicalId":46882,"journal":{"name":"Communication & Sport","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143849601","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}
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