Assessing the Goodness of Fit Between Scholarly Assertions and Audience Interpretations of Media Images of Black Male Athletes

The purpose of this study was to examine the goodness of fit in sport media research, specifically how audiences interpret media images of Black male athletes and the ways in which their interpretations fit with scholarly assertions pertaining to racially marked media depictions. Participants in the study (n=36) were part of eight focus groups segmented by age, gender and race. They viewed and discussed mainstream media images of Black male athletes found on major American sport media websites (ESPN.com and SI.com). The images corresponded with five categories of representation found in the literature: highly competent/natural athlete, exotic savage, deviant, emotionally immature, and race transcendent. Although results were systematically compared across groups, race seemed to be the most significant factor in focus group responses. White participant responses provided support for some of the scholarly assertions (stereotype interpreted as reality, conditional acceptance of Black male athletes, perception of sport as upward mobility and the myth of meritocracy) while African American focus group responses were more likely to challenge some assertions (stereotypes interpreted as reality, perception of sport as upward mobility and myth of meritocracy), and confirm the existence of others (conditional acceptance of Black male athletes). Similar to the sport media study by Kane and Maxwell (2011), which utilized audience reception research, this project aims to generate knowledge and awareness that sport leaders could use to implement programs or practices which have the ability to transform sport and society into a truly equitable realm

Lowering the Rims Roundtable: A Move for Equality?

Part of a blog post from April 15, 2016 titled Lowering the Rims Roundtable: A Move for Equality in which Dr. Houghton wrote a portion to add to the discussion on whether or not women\u27s basketball should lower the rims in order to allow for more dunking. The entire blog post as posted by Mountaineer in the blog The Rabbit Hole can be viewed at http://cszto.blogspot.com/2016/04/lowering-rims-roundtable-move-for.htm

Assessing the Goodness of Fit Between Scholarly Assertions and Audience Interpretations of Media Images of Black Male Athletes

The purpose of this study was to examine the goodness of fit in sport media research, specifically how audiences interpret media images of Black male athletes and the ways in which their interpretations fit with scholarly assertions pertaining to racially marked media depictions. Participants in the study (n=36) were part of eight focus groups segmented by age, gender and race. They viewed and discussed mainstream media images of Black male athletes found on major American sport media websites (ESPN.com and SI.com). The images corresponded with five categories of representation found in the literature: highly competent/natural athlete, exotic savage, deviant, emotionally immature, and race transcendent. Although results were systematically compared across groups, race seemed to be the most significant factor in focus group responses. White participant responses provided support for some of the scholarly assertions (stereotype interpreted as reality, conditional acceptance of Black male athletes, perception of sport as upward mobility and the myth of meritocracy) while African American focus group responses were more likely to challenge some assertions (stereotypes interpreted as reality, perception of sport as upward mobility and myth of meritocracy), and confirm the existence of others (conditional acceptance of Black male athletes). Similar to the sport media study by Kane and Maxwell (2011), which utilized audience reception research, this project aims to generate knowledge and awareness that sport leaders could use to implement programs or practices which have the ability to transform sport and society into a truly equitable realm

Title IX Sex Discrimination & Negligence Lawsuit Against Fargo Public School District & the Board of Education Partially Dismissed

Brian and Jennifer Berg filed a lawsuit as individuals and on behalf of their daughter Regan against the Fargo Public School District (FPSD) and the Board of Education in the City of Fargo in 2021. They argued that Regan faced sex discrimination, deliberate indifference under Title IX, the FPSD Handbook and negligence from FPSD following an alleged sexual assault by a male student off-campus

Florida Institute of Technology Ordered to Reinstate Men\u27s Rowing after Title IX Complaint

In February 2023, the U.S. District Court in Florida issued a preliminary injunction in favor of six male student-athletes from Florida Institute of Technology who alleged that the university violated Title IX. The male student-athletes filed the lawsuit against Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in 2022. The student-athletes claimed FIT violated Title IX when the university eliminated rowing and other programs

Terminated ASU Women\u27s Lacrosse Coach Files Retaliation and Wrongful Termination Lawsuit

Courtney Connor, the former women’s lacrosse coach at Arizona State University, sued the University and the Arizona Board of Regents (collectively, “ASU”) for Title VII and Title IX retaliation, as well as wrongful termination

Title IX at 50: Exploring the Impact of the Law on Cases of Sexual Misconduct and Participation Equity in Athletics

June 23, 2022 will mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX; during that time frame there has been a drastic increase in girl’s and women’s participation in sport. There has also been significant political debate and push back to Title IX which has threatened to undermine the impact of the law. Over the last 10 years, Title IX has been synonymous with litigation related to sexual harassment and transgender athlete participation in sport. Additionally, universities have continually sought to cut women’s sports under the guise of budgetary constraints. The purpose of this poster presentation is three-fold: 1) Review recent case developments in terms of cutting women’s sports; 2) emphasize that procedurally, sexual harassment and misconduct claims are in flux across campuses; and 3) discuss the current state of transgender athlete participation policies in sports

Treatment and Prevention of Injuries: Content Analysis Running Magazines

Runners often self-diagnose and treat injuries (Russell & Wiese-Bjornstal, under review), and report beliefs about injuries unsubstantiated by research (Saragiotto et al., 2014a). Scheufele and Tewskbury (2007) suggest the way media sources frame a story can influence consumers’ interpretation, for example, what runners read in magazines can influence their beliefs about injury. This study’s purpose was to determine what running magazines present as strategies for injury prevention and treatment. Results of a content analysis revealed summaries of research and advice from coaches as the most common sources of evidence. The most frequent prevention and treatment strategy was stretching. Rarely were avoiding overtraining or seeking medical care/advice suggested. Consistent with framing theory, information in running magazines is similar to what runners have identified as the common causes of injury (Saragiotto et al., 2014a), yet some of these injury treatment and prevention beliefs are unsupported by research (Saragiotto et al., 2014b)