How Media Frame Roller Derby Around the World in 20 Different Countries

• Main Author: Chartrou, Julie
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2012
• Subjects: sports; public relations; women portrayals; framing theory; Communication; Critical and Cultural Studies; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1423; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2616&context=etd

A content analysis was conducted to analyze how media frame roller derby. The research included an analysis of newspaper articles published all around the world in 20 different nations from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2011, and different languages were considered. The research did not support previous studies concerning women athletes and the sport. Overall tone toward roller derby was mainly neutral, and the description of roller derby was not defined as sexist or using violent terms. Women journalists who wrote articles were slightly more sexist and used violent terms than men. Exploratory research showed that the previous findings did not change no matter the date of publication of the article or when roller derby was implemented in the nation. Results were not statistically significant. Also, the movie Whip It did not change people's point of view on roller derby even after the movie came out.