Ten Years of Steroids in Baseball: A Study of News and Sports Issue Coverage

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session and Reception
  In Interactive Paper Session: Mass Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Attention to steroid use in Major League Baseball has grown in the last decade as more prominent players were found guilty of relying on performance-enhancing drugs to bolster their numbers. Congressional intervention in this issue also added to the sense of urgency aimed at preserving the integrity of America’s national pastime. Taking the issue of steroid use in baseball as a topic, this study examines the story as it rises and falls on the media agenda. Tracking articles from eight newspapers over a 10-year time period, results indicate that the issue was the result of non-routine, accidental events. Analysis also revealed differences in the works patterns of news reporters and sports reporters, particularly their attention to institutional news and non-routine events. Finally, results imply that news reporters use their sources differently than sports reporters.

Author

• Claudia Kozman, Indiana University