Racial bias in professional sports : from a media and fan perspective

Abstract

There has been an issue with racial bias in the sports broadcasting and reporting industry, as well as with sports fans. This study looks further into the issue of racial bias through both lenses listed above. To help look at racial bias in sports media, there will be closer examinations of Agenda Setting Theory, and Framing Theory. To look closer at racial bias in sports fandom, the Social Identity Theory will be used to help ground the issue. There will be some specific cases that will be discussed to provide more insight to both sides of the issue. After a thorough literature review, there will be a study that looks specifically at a case of racial bias from the perspective of the media and the perspective of the fans. The case of National Football League player Richard Sherman will be the case examined. The issue at hand is a post-game interview Sherman gave after a big win in the playoffs of the 2013-2014 season. This mixed method study looks at media reports and fan perceptions on the Richard Sherman case.