ESPN’s Coverage of Intimate Partner Violence in the National Football League

Abstract

On September 8, 2014, a graphic video showing Ray Rice punch and render his fiancée unconscious was released to the public. This event was a catalyst for discussion into how the media cover intimate partner violence (IPV) committed by National Football League (NFL) players. Media frames can shape the way audiences make sense of an issue. As the “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) has a journalistic responsibility to frame and address sociocultural issues related to sports, especially those involving crime, health, and safety. IPV is a pervasive sociocultural issue affecting millions of people in the United States, and media frames can shape the way audiences understand the subject matter and the themes surrounding IPV. This research used qualitative textual analysis to examine ESPN’s website coverage of IPV incidents committed by NFL players 2 years prior to and after the Ray Rice incident. Our findings show that instances of IPV were more episodically than thematically framed before the Ray Rice incident. Framing of IPV was revealed in four themes: focus on the individual player, problem for the team, the NFL’s problem, and missing the point. Further analysis and theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

News Stories of Intimate Partner Violence: An Experimental Examination of Media Framing and Perpetrator Sex in LGBTQ Versus Heterosexual Relationships

“…Journal of Interpersonal Violence 37 (23)(24) episodic and thematic framing of stories about IPV perpetration by athletes (Spencer & Limperos, 2020), among others. For example, Spencer and Limperos (2020) detailed how ESPN covered instances of NFL IPV before, during, after the Ray Rice incident.…”

“…Intimate partner violence media framing research is growing. Researchers have examined framing in local newspapers (Kelly & Payton, 2019), explored portrayals in Queensland newspapers (Smith et al, 2019), and investigated episodic and thematic framing of stories about IPV perpetration by athletes (Spencer & Limperos, 2020), among others. For example, Spencer and Limperos (2020) detailed how ESPN covered instances of NFL IPV before, during, after the Ray Rice incident.…”

Man to Man: Communicating Narrative about Violence Against Women in Sport Media

“…12). The reliance on episodic framing is evident throughout the literature, with many authors choosing to identify and compare DV articles that use either an episodic or thematic frame (Bullock, 2007;Carlyle et al, 2008;Hawley et al, 2018;Lee & Wong, 2019;Lindsay-Brisbin et al, 2014;Meyer, 2018;Spencer & Limperos, 2018;Wong & Lee, 2018). Examining the frames used to present DV in media is seen as important because it contributes to who and what is seen as responsible for the behaviours leading up to and including the event (Bullock, 2008).…”

“…I find it of interest to note that when social context is taken into account, it is in order to excuse or sympathize with the perpetrator (Nettleton, 2011;Lee & Wong, 2019;Smith et al, 2019). This may be reflective of patriarchal attitudes that value men (i.e., perpetrators) over women (i.e., victims) (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005 Rice, there was a clear shift to players' statements being written by attorneys and image management agents (Spencer & Limperos, 2018). This focus on players' image management may have an effect on how the audience is addressed by media.…”

“…Spencer and Limperos (2018) andChase (2019) articles are part of the specific body of literature to which my work directly contributes. My research directly builds upon the works of Berns and Nettleton in examination of sports magazine messages surrounding DV.…”