The images of black male athletes in British and American newspapers, 1990--1999: A comparative content analysis

This study examines and compares the images of Black male athletes in British and American newspapers over a 10-year period. The decade: chosen reflects a number of significant events occurring in sports that impacted Black male athletes. In England, several Black male athletes achieved notoriety for becoming the “first” Black to participate and/or succeed in a particular sport, while in the United States, several famous athletes retired from their athletic careers or found themselves criminally involved with the legal system.; The study utilizes content analysis to analyze critically and assess the images portrayed about Black male athletes in the two countries investigated. A total of six major newspapers (three for each country) was selected in order to generate a significant sample of news stories (484 articles) concerning Black male athletes. Hegemony theory was used as the theoretical framework of the study. This ideology suggests that the ruling group of a society determines the nature and extent of how a group is represented. Thus, the image of Black male athletes is fixed in the minds of the ruling group in the form of stereotyping. Additionally, the critical approach, assumed in this study, suggests that the world of sports is not an “ultimate meritocracy,” as portrayed by the sports media. This concept implies that every athlete is viewed only by his talents and abilities in their respective sport.; The findings revealed that both countries featured similar amounts of coverage about Black male athletes. The coverage was also consistent over the entire decade, excluding 1995 and 1997, which showed dramatic increases in coverage. These two years featured significant numbers of news items regarding Jackie Robinson's 50th anniversary of breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball (America) and Sir Roger Bannister's remarks of genetic superiority of Blacks in sports (England), respectively.; The study detected eight images of Black male athletes in the British and American press: (1) recognition as first; (2) natural/innate ability; (3) wealthy; (4) role model; (5) lazy/lacks discipline; (6) activist; (7) invisibility in management positions; and (8) happy. Although these images can be perceived as both positive and negative, those images of a negative nature suggest that the sports media may still serve as a keeper and maintainer of the hegemonic structure manifested within the sports world. Hence, an “ultimate meritocracy” does not seem apparent and Black male athletes are continuously constructed within a racial ideology as solely natural, innate individuals. Nevertheless, it also appears that Black male athletes are presented in a more diverse and positive manner than images of previous studies (Maguire, 1991; Rada, 1996; Rainville & McCormick, 1977; Regester, 1980).