B – 31 Sport-concussion in the media: Does sportscaster commentary change identification and attitudes?

Objective Sport-concussion is frequently discussed in the media, including discourse during live sport broadcasts. The phrases, tone, and messages used in sports commentary could affect community understanding of sport-concussion (SC). This study aimed to determine the effect of changing the commentary on sport-concussion identification and attitudes. Method 163 volunteers enrolled in a cross-sectional experiment with random allocation to three commentary conditions: no commentary (NC), low-quality commentary (LCQ), or high-quality commentary (HCQ). 46 seconds of broadcast footage was edited from an Australian National Rugby League game. This footage showed colliding players, and a suspected concussion (as verified by match statistics). The original commentary was removed for the NC condition. New commentary was added to create the LCQ or HCQ conditions. The added commentaries were based on published health guidelines. Sport-concussion identification and attitudes were measured with items from established measures, including the Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey, and a measure of expected concussion reporting. Secondary measures were ratings of commentary quality and memorability (footage, commentary, both). Results The commentary condition did not affect sport-concussion identification or attitudes, p > 0.05, η^2≤0.01, small effects. Irrespective of condition, most participants correctly identified the injury and had safe concussion attitudes. A post-experimental test found that for both conditions, most participants rated the footage as most memorable, rather than the commentary. Conclusion High-quality commentary did not improve concussion identification or attitudes; however, a ceiling effect could be present. Future studies should apply this methodology in samples who struggle with identification or hold unsafe attitudes.