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A population of NBC's primetime coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics (64 hours) was analyzed to determine differences between the media treatment of U.S. and non-U.S. Olympians. Results showed that U.S. athletes were highlighted at three to four times to rate their successes would suggest. In addition, American athletes were more likely to be depicted as succeeding because of their intellect, commitment, and consonance while non-American athletes were more likely to be depicted as failing because they lacked the strength and skill of other athletes. From a personality/physicality standpoint, American athletes received enhanced comments about their outgoing/extroverted nature while non-American athletes received more comments about the size and parts of their bodies. Ramifications for framing theory and Olympic nationalism research are articulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the frequency with which the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic broadcasts featured men and women athletes. To understand these portrayals, all 557 hr and 15 min of National Broadcasting Company's (NBC) 2018 Winter Olympic telecasts were recorded. This recorded content included the 62 hr and 30 min of NBC's primetime program and, for the first time, all of the remaining non-NBC primetime coverage on NBC's other networks. Women athletes received the majority of the clock time on the NBC primetime broadcast; however, men received significantly more clock time on the remaining Olympic telecasts. Additionally, for both sets of broadcasts, differences were found between the amount of coverage for men and women athletes by sport. Through the lens of agenda-setting theory, potential reasons and ramifications for the different trends of coverage by broadcast are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gymnastics is one of the most popular sports at the Summer Olympics in both the United States and China. This study content analyzes more than 23 hours of Olympic gymnastics at the 2016 Rio Games on NBC and CCTV, examining potential framing differences pertaining to nationality and biological sex. Findings reveal that, in terms of name mentions, NBC favored female and domestic gymnasts, yet CCTV devoted more mentions to male and nondomestic gymnasts. Regarding word-by-word descriptors, multiple significant differences strongly suggest that the two networks depict gymnasts in substantially different manners. Discussions and research directions are also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of NBC's 2012 London Summer Olympic broadcast revealed significant differences between athletes of different ethnic backgrounds. Regarding athletic mentions, White athletes were more likely to be mentioned (64.3%) than all other athletes combined, with significant differences found in the reporting of an athlete from differing ethnic backgrounds depending on the venue where the mention is made. Regarding descriptions ascribed to the Olympians, significant differences were found when comparing the commentary for White, Black, Latino, Asian, and Middle Eastern athletes, including differences in the discussion of successes and failures of athletic strength, athletic ability, experience, and intelligence. Implications on the dialogue divergences are offered at the theoretical level, with heuristic impact being discussed in a variety of contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used theories of agenda setting and framing to examine NBC's Americanized telecast in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Five sports (gymnastics, diving, swimming, track and field, and beach volleyball) received more than 90% of the prime-time coverage, which set an agenda about which sports were most relevant for Americans to watch. The limited scope within NBC's televised agenda, in turn, facilitated the gendered framing of Olympians through sport commentator accounts. Gendered differences were statistically present in only four sports; diving had no significant differences, whereas beach volleyball contained the most differences. Implications and directions for future research are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]