Sports Media Complex

The relationship between mass media and sport has always been synonymously linked together. Mass media has been used in sport to attract different spectators by reaching a wider audience through the advancement of technology (Whannel, 2000). The growing emergence of technology allowed the increase in sports coverage. Sports were recognized as the ideal platform to capture spectators for advertisements as well as reinforce patriotism. With mass media being a cost effective method in transporting messages across, the sports industry acknowledged the importance of mass media in spreading their agenda and creating increased interest between sponsors and viewers.

Immediately after winning the NFC Championship game, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was interviewed on television in what later became the most talked about taunting story (Chase, 2014). Having the Seahawks win against a team that I highly followed, the San Francisco 49ers, my initial reaction to Richard Sherman’s post game interview was filled with disgust and anger. Who does this guy think he is? Not knowing who he was and any information about him, I initially felt that his remarks were typical of current black male athletes. Growing up playing sports as a kid, winning humbly was what I’ve been taught, and seeing how Sherman handled the win made me hate his character.

Having a little bit of information of Richard Sherman’s personality outside of football and how the media portrayed him, the subject that followed on sports networks was whether or not he was a thug (Roger, 2014). His actions in the post game interview quickly became viewed as ignorant, uneducated, and brash (Rogers, 2014; Strauss, 2014). Racial slurs were even made about Sherman’s comments, including the N-word (Hutchinson, 2014). It was easy to assume the media’s portrayal of Sherman as a thug because of his African American background and the fact that he was raised in Compton, California (Rogers, 2014). The outburst by Sherman quickly became viral on Twitter feeds, with stereotypical comments linked to his background, quickly labeling him as a thug (Straus, 2014).

As the story continued, the facts of Richard Sherman came to light. Although growing up in Compton, Richard Sherman was a Stanford graduate who excelled in the classroom with a high grade point average (Strauss, 2014). He has no criminal record and continues to contribute back to his hometown of Compton (Strauss, 2014).  The initial image of Richard Sherman as a thug or ape gets dispelled when an accurate portrayal is made.

As mentioned earlier that sport is synonymous with the media, establishing the key players in the sport media complex is needed to identify the power relations.  Media conglomerates, transnational corporations, and sports governing bodies are among the highly influential figures in the sports media complex (Lefever, 2012). With media being able to represent the world’s view, more importantly is the ability for it to construct versions of reality (Whannel, 2000). These constructed realities are usually made through political, economic, and cultural influences. This is a fundamental concept in understanding the role of the media since it is the media conglomerates that have the ability to construct people’s perceptions of reality. As media conglomerates are viewed as keepers of information, people who consume what the media portrays are also part of the figuration. The sports media complex constructs these messages in order to make the public think in a specific way (Whannel, 2000). In the context of the Richard Sherman story, the public who consumes the portrayal of Sherman as a thug only continues the cultural racial stereotype of black male athletes.

The stereotype of black male athletes behaving badly is deeply engrained in the world of sport and in our society. Yet why is it that black athletes receive more scrutiny under media attention, especially when all of the facts are not presented? The media continues to highlight black male athletes who are filled with bravado, such as Muhammad Ali, who capitalized more in his showmanship instead of his athleticism (Strauss, 2014). Viewers are constantly bombarded with stories of black athletes who get in trouble with the law. Most notable black male athletes that receive plenty of media attention is Michael Vick, Mike Tyson, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., to name a few. 

This only confirms that the issue of racism is still prevalent in our society and that racism was again brought to light with the Richard Sherman story. Although his actions were at the heat of the moment, having just helped his team make it to the Superbowl, you cannot judge a book by its cover. Society automatically sees Richard Sherman’s actions and quickly jumps to conclusions based on stereotypes from the past. The stereotype towards black male athletes will continue as long as the media continues to portray black male athletes as thugs. Young athletes especially who are susceptible from this stigma, are forced to tread lightly to avoid being labeled as a thug or criminal by their peers, coaches, or other parents.

Chase, C. (2014). Seahawks star Richard Sherman’s instant-classic postgame interview with Erin Andrews. USA Today. Retrieved February 14, 2014 from http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/01/richard-sherman-erin-andrews-interview/.

Hutchinson, E. (2014). Richard Sherman’s rant again blew the hinge off the door of racial stereotypes. Huffington Post. Retrieved February 14, 2014 from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/richard-shermans-rant-aga_b_4638270.html.

Lefever, K. (2012). Sports media complex in the new media landscape. International Sports Law Series, 7-27.

Rogers, D. (2014). Seattle seahawks: Is Richard Sherman a thug? Huffington Post. Retrieved February 14, 2014 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dexter-rogers/richard-sherman-thug_b_4705030.html.

Strauss, V. (2014). Justifying Richard Sherman by his GPA at Standford. Washington Post. Retrieved February 14, 2014 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/01/justifying-richard-sherman-by-his-gpa-at-stanford/.

Whannel, G. (2000). Sport and the Media. Handbook of Sports Studies. Sage Publications.