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Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
6-8-2026
Year of Publication
2026
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Communication and Information
Department/School/Program
Communication
Faculty
Jennifer Scarduzio
Faculty
Nicky Lewis
Faculty
Renee Kaufmann
Abstract
This dissertation examines the intersection of sport, media, and race, focusing on the ways in which media portrayals of athletes involved in criminal activity relate to the reinforcement of racial stereotypes. Utilizing social identity theory (SIT), this dissertation employs three video clips of minority athletes at the time of their arrests to examine how media representations of minority athletes contribute to the reinforcement of viewers’ racial stereotypes and to investigate the impact of participants’ pre-existing racial stereotypes upon their perceptions of media representations of Black athletes involved in criminal activity. This dissertation utilizes focus groups to examine how fandom, as a form of social identity, interacts with such media portrayals to relate to an individual’s perceptions of race, crime, violence, aggression, and sport. The findings highlight a deeper understanding of how media representations aid in reinforcing racial stereotypes within the context of sport and crime, highlighting the role of fandom in shaping individual perceptions and the broader impact such views may have upon societal beliefs about race, crime, and sport.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.317
Archival?
Archival
Recommended Citation
Clements, Christopher F., "THE ROLE OF FANDOM ON PERCEIVED RACIAL STEREOTYPES PRESENTED BY THE MEDIA’S COVERAGE OF SPORT AND CRIME" (2026). Theses and Dissertations--Communication. 156.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/comm_etds/156
