Study on sports media coverage of domestic violence incidents involving professional and collegiate athletes

Abstract

The 2014 year included a number of high-profile domestic violence cases involving professional athletes. Recognizable names include NFL stars Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy. But the most notorious case involved Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was seen punching his wife on surveillance video in a casino elevator. The media coverage surrounding the incident largely focused on the video footage itself, and the lack of appropriate punishment from the NFL and its commissioner Roger Goodell.

The study required examination of the media's framing and portrayal of a much broader social issue. I reviewed 58 articles from three prominent sports media websites: ESPN Internet, SI.com, and Yahoo! Sports. The study focused on who wrote the articles, what topics were discussed, what opinions the journalists had, and what sort of wording the pieces used. The media's coverage largely focused on male-on-female domestic abuse among NFL players. Most coverage was spent on journalists criticism of the NFL's handling of the Rice case and Goodell's inconsistent punishment among players. Many articles said the controversy damaged the NFL's reputation among fans and players.

The more implicit ideas were domestic violence is generally detested by the public and lack of reproach from an organization as powerful as the NFL is shameful. Ultimately, the Rice case unleashed more harm on the reputation of the NFL and Goodell than any player accused or convicted of a domestic violence offense.