The blame game: how video evidence changes narratives of misogynistic violence in sports discourse

ABSTRACT

Violence against women is prevalent both in and outside the sports world, and dozens of professional athletes have been accused, although the reactions and consequences to such accusations are not always the same. This study examines three instances of athletes committing misogynistic violence and the effect that video evidence has on sports media discourse. We look at a wide range of online media sources and print newspaper articles (n = 153) to see how the discourse changes after video evidence has been released publicly. We rely on feminist theory, hegemonic masculinity, and mediated witnessing as theoretical frameworks to conduct a critical discourse analysis. Video evidence of violence against women by athletes alters the way sports journalists cover them by countering hegemonic narratives about responsibility, player value, rehabilitation, and procedure. This study builds on previous scholarship about how evidentiary video can alter the way sports media subjugate women and perpetuate hegemonic masculinity.

KEYWORDS:

• Domestic violence
• witnessing
• video evidence
• sport
• hegemonic masculinity

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful feedback and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Vincent Peña

Vincent Peña is an assistant professor in sports communication at DePaul University. He received his Ph.D. from the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas at Austin and his master’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research interests include representation in sports media, particularly involving race and gender, as well as sports media discourse about issues such as athlete activism. E-mail: [email protected]

Adrianne Grubic

Adrianne Grubic is a teaching assistant and Ph.D. candidate at the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a J.M. from the Emory University School of Law, a M.M.C. from the University of South Carolina and a B.A. from Auburn University. She previously worked professionally in sports broadcasting at CNN Sports, ESPN, and FOX Sports. Adrianne’s research interests include the intersection of sports, gender, and race along with journalism credibility.

Ever Josue Figueroa

Ever Josue Figueroa is an assistant professor of journalism at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas – Lawrence. He received his Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include video game culture, the sociology of digital media production, and media representations of race and gender. He currently researches eSports culture and the social influences on the production of eSports media content. Email: [email protected]

Mary Angela Bock

Mary Angela Bock is an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism and Media. She is a former TV journalist turned academic with an interest in the sociology of photographic practice, the relationship between words and images, and digital media. She received her Ph.D. from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. Her latest book, Seeing Justice: Witnessing, Crime and Punishment in Visual Media (Oxford University Press) is expected in 2021. E-mail: [email protected]