Portrayals and Constructions of Race, Masculinity and Intimate Partner Abuse: A Discourse Analysis of Newspaper Articles on Professional Athletes and IPA

• In Event: Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Victimization in the Media

Abstract

How news media portrays intimate partner abuse (IPA) has an influence on public perceptions as well as policies aimed at IPA. It is argued that when celebrities, including athletes, are the center of news stories relating to crime that those stories are more likely to be covered, followed and read. Using critical discourse analysis and frame analysis, we explore how national newspapers frame intimate partner abuse when the perpetrator is a professional athlete. Paying close attention to constructions and displays of masculinity and race, we note that there is a tension between the expectation that athletes should be aggressive, and the expectation that an individual not become violent with an intimate partner. Additionally, we examine the way violence within various spaces is framed and how this contributes to perceptions of sanctioned aggression.

Authors

• Andrew S. Gutierrez, University of Colorado, Boulder

• Adriana C. Nunez, University of Colorado, Boulder

• Stephanie M. Bonnes, University of Colorado, Boulder