Audience Reactions to Sports Activism: The Role of Framing and Hostile Media Effects

While there are ongoing debates about separating sports from politics, sports entities (e.g., teams, leagues, and athletes) continue to engage in sociopolitical movements both on and off the field. Although these sports entities embrace these movements in various ways, the mainstream news media continues to play an important role in shaping public perceptions of these actions. The current study examined the influence of mainstream media framing and hostile media effects on individuals and their perceptions of sports activism, specifically in the context of sports executives. The current study employed an experimental design with a 2 (framing: episodic vs. thematic) × 2 (hostile media effects: favored vs. nonfavored) factorial setup, using a sample of 228 participants. A significant interaction between news media framing and hostile media effects was found, highlighting the importance of these constructs in information processing. Furthermore, participants’ interest in sociopolitical issues increased after exposure to news articles about sports activism. The ramifications of these findings are discussed particularly as they relate to the role of media in the sports landscape.