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The article discusses the need for greater diversity and global perspectives in the research and scholarship published in the journal Communication & Sport. The authors acknowledge that the majority of submissions and accepted manuscripts come from scholars in North America, but emphasize the importance of including perspectives from scholars in other regions of the world. They argue that a global lens is necessary to fully understand communication phenomena in the context of sport, as North America represents a small proportion of the world's population and many popular sports have their roots outside the U.S. The authors express a commitment to inclusivity and diversification of perspectives in future publications. [Extracted from the article]

The article explores the complex relationship between sports fans and the moral transgressions of athletes. It acknowledges that fans often struggle to separate an athlete's performance from their personal behavior, and that opinions on what constitutes egregious behavior vary among fans. The article emphasizes that the sports world should not be exempt from condemnation of immoral actions, and highlights the need for fans to navigate the moral ambiguities inherent in supporting their favorite athletes and teams. The article concludes by suggesting that fans should embrace their subjectivity as humans rather than striving for objectivity. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the current state of the journal Communication & Sport, highlighting the increase in submissions and the global diversity of contributors. The editors provide insights for successful submissions, emphasizing the importance of focusing on communication as a discipline, providing proper context for the topic being studied, embracing the evolving field, showcasing innovation, and triangulating established concepts. The journal aims to offer feedback to help authors navigate the submission process and improve the quality of submissions. [Extracted from the article]

The article explores the concept of age in sports and how it is perceived differently depending on the context. It discusses how phrases and narratives surrounding age and experience are prevalent in sports culture, with older athletes being described as either "turning back the clock" or "past their prime," while younger athletes are often referred to as "rising stars" or "still green." The article also highlights the fascination with athletes who defy the notion of aging, citing examples such as Tom Watson, George Foreman, and Dara Torres. It argues for a greater focus on age as an identity within the sports discipline, alongside discussions of gender, race, ethnicity, ability, and nationality. [Extracted from the article]

The Paralympics have become a highly visible and influential platform for elite athletes with disabilities, with the upcoming 2024 Paris Games expected to be the largest-ever showcase in history. The increased momentum of adaptive-sport competition can be attributed to factors such as public awareness through documentaries and the advocacy of public figures. However, there are challenges in leveraging the Paralympics to improve the lives of people with disabilities, as efforts to increase accessibility and sport participation often fall short. The portrayal of Paralympians as "superhumans" can be detrimental to the disability-rights movement, and it is important to critically examine the coverage and discourse surrounding adaptive sports. [Extracted from the article]

Following Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey's social media post advocating for Hong Kong independence, a 2 (NBA, Houston Rockets) × 3 (attacking the accuser, justification, apology) experimental design was utilized to explore the effects of different crisis response strategies on sports fan relationships between/among a professional sport league, one of its teams, and crisis responsibility attribution. Results indicated that apology strategy functioned better in reducing the blame placed on the organization than attacking strategy. Also, people with a more positive relationship or a higher level of identification with the organization would attribute less responsibility. However, when controlling the organization-public relationship or sport identification, response strategies could no longer predict attribution of responsibility significantly, suggesting that the previous relationship matters more than which response strategy is utilized in a crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the complex and contentious issue of transgender athletes in sports. It explores the tension between access and equity, with some arguing for inclusivity and others prioritizing fair competition based on biological sex. The article emphasizes the need for open and respectful dialogue to find common ground and move forward. It also highlights the importance of acknowledging the unique challenges faced by transgender athletes and the need for consistent guidelines from nations and athletic bodies. The article concludes by introducing three investigations into the communication of and about trans athletes, offering insights and perspectives on the issue. [Extracted from the article]

On March 11, 2020, the National Basketball Association suspended its season after a player tested positive for COVID-19. Within days, the rest of the sports world similarly suspended play in the wake of the pandemic. This study focuses on sports media storytelling when covering athletic competition was no longer an option. Utilizing four distinct time periods and framing theory as the foundation of our theoretical framework, the content analysis examined shifts from the normal reporting routine and how those shifts morphed as pandemic information dictated. As the pandemic grew more widespread, health and safety became the predominant focus of national sports media. In spring 2020, sports news experienced a significant shift in coverage as economic and fairness frames were replaced with health, safety, and quality of life as the principal frames in the coded articles. By pinpointing the major differences in coverage across time, the study revealed that sports content and frames quickly shifted to reflect the perceived severity to the global health community, while the sources used in those articles stayed largely the same. The theoretical and applied implications of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its 2016 launch, negative attitudes toward The Athletic, a network of hyperlocal subscription sports news sites, have resonated throughout the journalism community because of the new media startup's nontraditional approach, one centered on hiring established journalists from the hometown newspaper. Therefore, to accurately paint a picture of The Athletic 's perceived impact on print journalism, 22 in-depth interviews were conducted with newspaper sports editors. This analysis reveals that most sports editors were generally accepting of The Athletic and viewed its presence as reinforcement that newspapers need to stick to daily coverage to stand out in the crowded sports media marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed fans' knowledge and acceptance of baseball statistics portrayed on regional broadcasts, with a particular emphasis on modern/advanced statistics. By way of Major League Baseball (MLB) team subreddits, fans were surveyed and quizzed on their knowledge of a variety of baseball statistics; they were also surveyed regarding how new or old school they are as a fan, as well as their levels of Schwabism and mavenism. Results indicated that MLB team broadcasts placing greater emphasis on modern statistics produce fans who are more accepting of and knowledgeable about advanced statistics. While new-school fans and those high in Schwabism and mavenism were found to be more favorable towards modern statistics, controlling for those attributes strengthened the association between team broadcast and modern statistical acceptance and knowledge. Through the lens of social cognitive theory, potential ramifications for statistical portrayals and the influence on both learning and unlearning are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses social presence theory and social identity theory as theoretical frameworks to examine global social TV usage during a mega-sporting event. A total of 2,296 people from six different nations (Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United States) were surveyed about their social TV usage, degree of social presence, and team identification in the week following the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Primary findings illustrate that increased social TV use predicts increased measures of social presence, social capital, and perceived sociability, which then influences one's identification with their national team and Winter Olympics fandom. Additional insights are found regarding global social TV engagement and ancillary device usage habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental illness remains stigmatized in the United States and abroad, with the mass media often blamed for perpetuating stereotypes about people who experience mental health issues. 2018 witnessed two professional basketball players—star athletes DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love—disclosing personal experiences with depression and anxiety. Informed by social cognitive and framing theories, the present study examined how news stories characterized the disclosures, examining ways in which journalists presented the athletes as mental health advocates and models for pro-health attitudes and behavior. News stories generally framed the athletes as demonstrating character strength for disclosing mental illness in an athletic culture that often stigmatizes any potential weakness. Journalists often permitted the athletes to directly share their message concerning mental health with readers, as DeRozan and Love discussed (a) the experience of coming out; (b) the positive reception of teammates, coaches, and the public; and (c) the need for an end to mental health–oriented stigma. Stories often called for action, communicating to readers that people with mental illness are "not alone" and should share their experiences with others. The results provide the foundation for research into the relationship between media exposure and mental health-related attitudes, particularly how news framing of athletes' disclosures shape fan attitudes toward mental health treatment, mental illness, and people who experience mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As news media mainly focused on issues of nationalism, many people perceive Colin Kaepernick as unpatriotic, even though his protest was about police brutality and social justice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how people perceive athlete activism relative to news media framing and to examine the effects of athlete activism on endorsed brands. Two experimental design studies were conducted. Results indicate that news media influenced individuals' attitudes toward the protesting athlete. Additionally, prior perceptions of the protesting athlete and the brand were significantly associated with attitudes toward the protesting athlete and the endorsed brand regardless of the news media framing conditions. A strong positive relationship between the protesting athlete and the endorsed brand was found. Participants with more positive attitudes toward the protesting athlete had more positive attitudes toward the brand endorsed by the athlete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explain the wide attraction to sports, self-esteem impacts of a live American college football game were investigated; testing hypotheses were derived from mood-as-information, social identity, and sociometer frameworks along with previous research on sports and self-esteem. A three-wave field study measured mood, group affiliation, and self-esteem among 174 students at two different universities, immediately before and on 2 consecutive days after the football teams of these universities played in a much anticipated game. Both self-esteem and mood were affected 2 days after the game; however, fans of the winning team showed increased self-esteem (with no related mood improvement) while fans of the defeated team showed decreases in mood (with no related self-esteem deflation). Both the game outcome and the social viewing context influenced self-esteem. Impacts on self-esteem were mediated by both mood and group affiliation changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study of 409 sports fans from the United States and China contrasts uses sought and gratifications obtained within four different social media platforms: Facebook and Twitter (in the United States) and WeChat and Weibo (in China). Results indicated that each of the platforms function in starkly contrasting manners. In the United States, Facebook scored higher than Twitter on every motivational measure; in China, WeChat was found to be better at fostering camaraderie, entertainment, habitual use, and maintaining relationships, while Weibo was found to be better for arousal. Moreover, Chinese respondents reported higher gratifications obtained than American respondent on all 12 factors. Implications are offered for uses and gratifications research as well as sports media scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]