Does Contact Matter? How Playing On A Diverse Team Affects The Application Of Athletic Stereotypes

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Interactive Paper Session: Sports Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

While numerous studies have found that sports broadcasters and journalists propagate stereotypical descriptors based on the race of athletes, very few examine the effects of these depictions. This current study utilizes a 2x2x4 mixed-design experiment to see if participants (N=518) apply these stereotypes to athletes. It also examines whether experience participating in sports with diverse teammates impacts how participants stereotype. Participants with positive high intergroup contact differed from participants without. These results are examined through the prism of intergroup contact theory.

Authors

• Jan Boehmer, University of Miami

• Patrick Ferrucci, University of Colorado-Boulder