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The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Communications NBC’S PORTRAYAL OF U.S. AND CANADIAN HOCKEY PLAYERS ON THE OLYMPIC STAGE: A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF GENDER, RACE, AND NATIONALITY ISSUES IN THE COMMENTARY A Dissertation in Mass Communications by Kelly L. Poniatowski 2008 Kelly L. Poniatowski Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2008 The dissertation of Kelly L. Poniatowski was reviewed and approved* by the following: Marie Hardin Associate Professor, Communications/Women’s Studies Dissertation Advisor Co-Chair of Committee John Nichols Professor and Associate Dean, Communications Co-Chair of Committee Colleen Connolly-Ahern Assistant Professor, Communications Michelle Miller-Day Associate Professor, Communication Arts & Sciences *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT Beginning in 1996 NBC gained the rights to broadcast the Olympics through 2012 (excluding 1998). While much research has been conducted on gender, ethnicity and nationality during primetime coverage of the Olympics, little research has looked at how NBC’s cable affiliates cover less popular sports not airing during primetime. This research investigates how the commentary during the men’s and women’s hockey games broadcast during the 2006 Olympics framed issues of gender, nationality and race. Taking a cultural studies approach and using thematic textual analysis, U.S. and Canadian teams were analyzed. In-depth interviews with the commentators were also conducted. Overall, gender was constructed through hegemonic masculinity and hegemonic femininity. Natural differences of women were often constructed through comparisons to male counterparts, dependency on men, male role models, and playing on boys’ teams. Women were legitimized within the male sports hierarchy because they rejected traditionally feminine sports such as figure skating and embraced hockey instead. A sense of U.S. and North American superiority were showcased by representing the U.S. and Canadian teams as physically superior. The U.S. women were shown as athletically superior and feminine within the male sporting world, while the Canadian women were only constructed as big and strong. U.S. nationality and North American superiority were framed to suggest that non-North American teams had a dependency on North American leagues, colleges, and coaches for their successes. Reference to on-ice officials and their nationality became a theme. Commentators agreed with calls made by iv Canadian officials and disagreed with calls made by Eastern European officials, serving to construct a sense of North Americanism. Race was framed in the context of Whiteness, reinforcing hegemonic masculinity. Jerome Iginla, the only Black player, was given little attention considering his playing time for Team Canada. When Iginla was mentioned, it was often in reference to his physicality, while his White counterparts were given credit for hard work and intelligence. Whiteness was also constructed through themes of the good-guy mentality and being family-oriented. The themes suggested that while equality in the amount of coverage has improved, parity in gender, nationality, and race is still unequal. TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface.........................................................................................................................viii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 Introduction to the Olmpics and North American Hockey..........................1 Media ....................................................................................................................4 Production Issues ..................................................................................................5 Socio-Political Climate of the 2006 Winter Games..............................................6 History of North American Hockey......................................................................8 NHL Hockey Today ........................................................................................10 Olympic Hockey .............................................................................................11 Women as Marginalized Hockey Players ......................................................13 Blacks and Hockey .........................................................................................15 Conclusion ............................................................................................................16 Chapter 2 Hegemony, Gender and the Media.............................................................19 Ideology ................................................................................................................20 Hegemony.............................................................................................................22 Hegemonic Masculinity .................................................................................23 Hegemonic Femininity ...................................................................................25 Concepts of Sport and Gender ..............................................................................26 Media Representations of Sports ..........................................................................33 Conclusion ............................................................................................................38 Chapter 3 Nationality ..................................................................................................40 Concepts of Nation and Nationalism ....................................................................41 Nationalism and Sports .........................................................................................44 Hockey and Nationality in Canada .......................................................................46 Media Representations of Nationalism.................................................................48 Conclusion ............................................................................................................50 Chapter 4 Race ............................................................................................................52 Concepts of Race ..................................................................................................53 Canada and Race...................................................................................................56 Sports and the Concept of Race ............................................................................59 Media Constructions of Race................................................................................61 Conclusion ............................................................................................................64 Chapter 5 Commentary and Commentators................................................................66 vi Concepts of Commentary......................................................................................67 Marginalized Commentators.................................................................................69 Media Studies on Sports Commentary..................................................................70 Conclusion ............................................................................................................73 Chapter 6 Methodology...............................................................................................75 Thematic Textual Analysis ...................................................................................76 Cultural Studies.....................................................................................................77 Cultural Studies and Sports...................................................................................80 In-Depth Interviews ..............................................................................................81 Sample...................................................................................................................84 Method ..................................................................................................................86 Frames and Themes .......................................................................................89 Triangulation.........................................................................................................92 Peer Evaluation .............................................................................................93 Research Questions...............................................................................................94 Establishing Trustworthiness ................................................................................97 Chapter 7 Results ........................................................................................................99 Constructions of Masculinity and Femininity.......................................................100 Physicality ......................................................................................................100 Body contact vs. body checking ..............................................................100 Strength vs. finesse .................................................................................102 Player Background ........................................................................................104 Last names ..............................................................................................105