Sports and Media - Essay Example

Media exposure using race-related messages can provide advantages in terms of identity to whites or majority consumers. They are offered intergroup messages, which support White positive distinctiveness and self-concept. The first hypothesis is that minority athletes are usually overrepresented as criminals when compared to Whites. The second hypothesis is that minority athletes are usually characterized unfavorably than White athletes in the coverage of crime-related sports news. The third hypothesis is that crimes associated with minority athletes will be characterized by negative consequences.

The fourth hypothesis is that the presentation of crime-related sports news varies according to the race of an athlete (Mastro, Bleacha & Seate, 2011).ConclusionThese researchers show that the manner in which athletes are portrayed in crime-related news varies according to race. In this case, minority athletes, particularly Black athletes were overly represented as criminals. The researchers used a social identity framework in order to analyze the content in the newspapers systematically.

ReferencesMastro, D., Bleacha, E., & Seate, A. (2011). Characterization of Criminal Athletes: A Systematic Examination of Sports News Depictions of Race and Crime. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 55, (4) 526-542.