The United States of Sport: Media Framing and Influence of the Intersection of Sports and American Culture

Whether it's the Roosevelt administration's impact on the formation of the NCAA, the protest of the Vietnam War by Muhammad Ali, or the rise of rap and hip-hop in the 90s and its penetration of the NBA's image, American culture and politics have intersected regularly with sports. The impact of American politics and culture on the sports industry, and vice versa, is evident throughout the halls of history and, in particular, the 20th and 21st centuries mark an interesting period of time to explore this relationship. One avenue to be considered during this time is the amplification and growth of mass media and its role in framing these intersections of American pop culture, politics and the sports industry. Many of the values that Americans hold dear to their identity, such as activism and protest, capitalism, freedom of expression, and competition, are permeated through the history of collegiate and professional sports in the United States, and the media has played a role in shaping those opinions and values among Americans through its various outlets. The United States of Sport looks at how media outlets portrayed several of these intersections in politics, culture and sports, with each chapter highlighting a moment or phenomenon in American history and its direct or indirect impact on some aspect of the sports industry through the eyes of newspapers, magazines, television, radio and online news outlets.

Kenon A. Brown (Ph.D., The University of Alabama, 2012) is an associate professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Alabama. As the programming director for the Alabama Program in Sports Communication, Kenon is responsible for stakeholder communication and events for the program. His research interests include image and reputation management, particularly in sports, and minority recruitment in mass communication.

Joshua Dickhaus (Ph.D., The University of Alabama, 2011) is Associate Professor of Communication and the Director of the Charley Steiner School of Sports Communication at Bradley University. In 2019, he was named the Associate Chair of the Department of Communication. Joshua's main research interests lie in race in sports, apologia rhetoric in sports, and image restoration in sports.

Mia Long Anderson (Ph.D., University of Alabama, 2011) is an associate dean and professor in the College of Arts and Media at Sam Houston State University. Her research interests include the intersection of communication, race and sport, athlete activism, the history of African American magazines, and African American images in the media. Her work has been published in Communication Teacher, the Journal of African American Studies, the Journal of Contemporary Athletics, the Journal of Sports Media, the Journal of South Texas, and numerous books.