The Impact of Media on Racialization
Sports
Payton Manning vs
Michael Vick
Social Media
Study Design
Results
- Examined 231 NFL quarterback prospects that were featured on the “NFL Draft” section of the Sports Illustrated website from 1998-2007.
- Among the 231 quarterbacks, 170 were white while 61 were black.
- The internet is the most-used and widely used source for information
- Based on the results of this study, it can reasonably be inferred that racial stereotypes does exist in sports media.
- Black quarterbacks were labeled as physical athletes with a low football IQ, whereas white quarterbacks were labeled as decent athletes with high intelligence.
Social Learning Theory and Social Framing
- Think of how social media sites can portray race and ethnicity. Is race often prevalent when you're browsing these sites?
Key Points
Hypothesis
- Social learning theory states that the most important aspects of our behavior are learned from other persons in our society.
- Social framing allows for journalists to take mass amount of information and summarize it into something short and brief to send it out to their audience.
- Sports journalists and reporters mimic older sports journalists and broadcasters by modeling the things they do to be successful within their field (Social Learning Theory).
- Journalists use specific social frames to describe black and white quarterbacks (Social Framing).
- Racial stereotypical descriptions often go unnoticed sports media.
- Black Quarterbacks
- The media portrays black quarterbacks as being physically dominant but lacking intelligence.
- White Quarterbacks
- The media portrays white quarterbacks as being less physically gifted, but more intelligent.
Purpose
The Framing of White and Black Quarterbacks
- The purpose of this study is to explain the concepts of how social learning theory and social framing are used in sports media to describe black and white athletes.
- This study used social learning theory and social framing to examine ways in which black and white college quarterbacks were described by a major sports publication prior to the NFL.
Conclusions
- NAs were more central in clips
- Low incidence of stereotypical depictions
- Portrayed Post-WWII (1945)
- NA characters tended to show more mainstream appearances
Findings suggest that UGC sites can have a positive influence for NAs and other underrepresented and misrepresented groups
"The YouTube Indian"
Race in the Media
Native Americans (NA's) are misrepresented and underrepresented in the media
Methods
Study Questions
- 464 video results from searching 'Native American(s)' or Indigenous American(s)' or 'American Indian(s)'
What is the nature of NA portrayals available in a user-generated content (UGC) environment?
Findings
What is the relative prominence of NA characters in YouTube videos?
These limited and negative portrayals of NA's are often the primary sources of information for people
Relative NA Importance: NA characters had central roles in 64% of clips; 2/3 of clips did not mention NA characters by name;
What are the historical, spatial and political depictions of NA's?
To what extent are stereotypical depictions of NA's present in the video?
Historical, Political and Spatial contexts: 63% of clips were post-WWII; 55% were shown outdoors, with 78% at a reservation; 84% made no reference to discrimination towards NA's
- Age
- Income level
- Height
- Inarticulate-articulate
- Loud-quiet
- Ridiculed-Respected
- Centrality of NA characters
- Character identification
- Historical context
- Spatial context (environment)
- Discrimination
- Policy issues
- Stereotypes
What are the personal attributes and behavioral characteristics of NA characters?
Stereotypical Depictions: 25% contained at least one NA stereotype (most common- sexualized warrior, princess, wise elder & militant activist
Personal/Behavior Characteristics: More men than women; Mostly semi-casual and formal NA attire; Primarily 20-60 y/old; Low income, muscular, medium skin tone
Common NA Stereotypes
Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory (EVT)
An ethnic group's societal standing is based on its vitality (what makes a group behave as a distinctive and collective identity).
Strong vitality builds societal respect and motivates the group to nurture their traditions.
Low vitality can cause discrimination, disempowerment, assimilation and negative self-image
What are some examples of things that might affect the vitality of certain ethnic groups?
- News
- Television
- Social Media
- Sports
Racial prejudices are highly prevalent in American media, which negatively affects racialization and the human experience
Discussion Question
Television
"The perpetrator is described as a black male, slim of build, approximately six feet tall, and college-aged. He was wearing a hoodie."
News Coverage
Table 1: Articles with Racial and Class References
The New York Times USA Today NBC Nightly News Raleigh
News & Observer
Articles and stories in which any of the terms “race,” “racial,” “racist,” “racism,” “black,” “white,” or “African American” appear 57%
(n=49) 80%
(n=32) 48%
(n=10) 43%
(n=138)
Articles and stories in which only the terms “racism,” “racist,” or “racial hatred” appear 14%
(n=12) 13%
(n=5) 10%
(n=2) 10%
(n=32)
Articles and stories with references to “racial epithets,” “insults,” “slurs,” or “racial taunts” by the lacrosse players 21%
(n=18) 18%
(n=7) 5%
(n=1) 14%
(n=44)
Articles and stories with references in which the terms “class,” “privilege,” “well-off,” “well-to-do,” “affluent,” “suburban,” “poor,” “working class,” or “poverty” appear 35%
(n=30) 40%
(n=16) 29%
(n=6) 18%
(n=
What is your initial reaction after reading this?
Reality TV negatively portrays race
Do you think this passage contains a racial bias? Why or why not?
Why is it important that we address these seemingly subtle details?
What's your take on Bill OReilly's comments? Is racism at play here? Explain! How do you feel about the response by Fox News?
Has anyone noticed prominent racism in reality TV? If so, explain the show and context.
Main Findings: General Research
Duke Men's Lacrosse Scandal
Main Findings: Duke Lacrosse Case
- Blacks and Latinos are more likely than whites to appear as lawbreakers in news
- Blacks and Latinos are more likely to appear as perpetrators than victims
- Whites are overrepresented as victims of violence
Neo- Liberalism
Hypotheses
Findings
Purpose
Promotes individual responsibility to substitute the deep-rooted problems within public services and communities (institutions).
- Reality TV shows create over exaggerated characters that are often noted and disagreed with, during discussion
- This portrayal of race in society as a personal issue is detrimental to viewers of the show. This show “masks the significance of structural barriers that limit meaningful interracial communities”
- Duke lacrosse players never depicted as racist; however, evidence of the use of racial slurs and insults was discovered
- Initial media depiction of case worsened public opinion of the players
- Public sympathy of stripper heightened as she was described as a poor student and mother
- "Pre-trial bias" held by judges and jurors
- In newscasts and daily newspapers blacks in criminal roles tend outnumber blacks in socially positive roles
- 1/20 whites that appear on TV news was a criminal suspect, compared to 1/8 Blacks and 1/4 Latinos
- Reality tv portrays color-blind racism and neo-liberalism
- Reality tv distracts viewers from the structural problems of race in society, therefore inhibiting action to resolve these structural problems
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of neo-liberalism and color-blind racism in the context of reality television.
Methods
Conclusion
Color-Blind Racism
Popular "News" Media Outlets
Main Findings: General Research Cont.
What To Take Away
Race exists in the world (and society) due to individual prejudices rather institutional problems.
• Conducted focus groups
• Watched an episode of Wife Swap and were guided to discuss different elements in the episode
• The data analysis used three coding categories. Realism, stereotypes, identification.
- Black and Latino defendants are twice as likely as white defendants to be subjected to negative pre-trial publicity
- Black defendants, in one study were twice as likely to be shown in mug shots
- Whits are
- Fact Check!
- Always look for objectivity!
- Get in the Loop!
- Your interpretation matters!
- Keep your cool!
- "Don't be afraid to stand up for something, even if you are standing alone."
- Hi Gill!!
- Television can portray neo-liberalism/color blind racism and negatively impact the human experience by distracting viewers from the structural problems of race
- Racial stereotypes can negatively portray American athletes.
- Social media, having a strong influence on the younger generations of American society, has the potential to positively effect race in America.
- Sensationalism is prevalent among current media outlets. Media stereotypes consist of recurring messages that associate people of color with traits, behaviors, and values generally considered undesirable, inferior or dangerous.
Mary Van Leuven, Derrick Jones, Nelson Dow, Liam McIlroy