MacArthur P., Angelini J., Billings A., March A. PARALLEL LINES OF COMMENTARY? … Vol. 6 Issue 1: 73 - 84 PARALLEL LINES OF COMMENTARY? THE NBC BROADCAST NETWORK’S PRIMETIME DEPICTION OF MALE GYMNASTS AT THE 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES Paul MacArthur1, James Angelini2, Andrew Billings3 and Alexis March4 1 Utica College - Public Relations and Journalism, Utica, New York, United States 2 University of Delaware – Communication Newark, New York, United States 3University of Alabama - Telecommunication & Film Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States 4 Utica College, Utica, New York, United States Research article Abstract This study analyzes how U.S.-based NBC announcers portray male gymnasts in comparison to all other male competitors within the primetime broadcast of the Summer Olympic Games. Contrasts were analyzed regarding attributions of success, failure and personality/physicality. Analysis of NBC’s primetime coverage of the 2012 London Olympic Summer Games revealed seven (7) significantly-different dialogue trends between male gymnasts and the aggregate of other male Summer Olympians. Specifically, male gymnasts were more likely to have their success (i) credited to athletic skill/strength and (ii) composure and their failure (iii) attributed to a lack of concentration and a (iv) lack of athletic ability compared to the aggregate of other male Olympians. Male gymnasts were also more likely to receive comments about being (v) modest or introverted and have their (vi) emotional state described. Male athletes competing in all sports except for gymnastics were more likely to have their successes (vii) attributed to their experience. Keywords: television, commentary, comparision, athletes, gymnasts. INTRODUCTION “A lot of the guys at school were Men’s gymnastics has been an integral giving me (flack) and saying, ‘Okay, component of U.S. Olympic television gymnast, so you’re going to be a woman in broadcasts for decades. During the past five tights?’ They can throw all the negativity Summer Olympiads, the sport received over they want at me. I’m not going to let it break me.” ­U.S. Olympic Gymnast, John Orozco, CNN, 20121 http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/26/us/john-orozco- olympic-gold 1 See video posted on Carroll, J. & Foley, V. (2012, July 26). Bronx native John Orozco an unlikely gymnastics star. CNN.com. Retrieved from: Science of Gymnastics Journal 73 Science of Gymnastics Journal MacArthur P., Angelini J., Billings A., March A. PARALLEL LINES OF COMMENTARY? … Vol. 6 Issue 1: 73 - 84 27 hours of primetime2 broadcast coverage, Though gymnastics has been more than any other men’s event at the promoted as a female-appropriate sport in Summer Games (Billings, Angelini, & the United States dating back to at least the Duke; 2010; Billings, 2008; Billings, 19th Century (see Chisolm, 2007), the Angelini, MacArthur, Bissell, & Smith, sport’s feminine perception is a relatively 2014). The NBC broadcast network recent phenomenon. Gymnastics was part of dedicated 3 hours and 40 minutes of its 17- the Ancient Olympic Games, which were night primetime telecast to men’s open only to male competitors, and has been gymnastics in 2012, making it the third most used as both a form of military training (see covered men’s sport at the London Olivova, 1981; Combeau-Mari, 2011) and Olympiad, trailing only swimming and track nation building (see Kruger, 1996). Cahn and field. Yet, men’s gymnastics (1994) argues that the sport underwent a consistently receives less airtime than its “sex change” (p. 219) during the 20th female counterpart (which received 6 hours century, with factors such as the popularity and 57 minutes in 2012) and, outside of the of women Soviet gymnasts during the 1950s Olympics, is typically an irregular offering and U.S. media promotion of the aesthetics on all-sports cable networks in the United of female gymnastics contributing to this States. transformation. A popular 1955 U.S. tour Despite the sport’s popularity within highlighting Swedish women gymnasts American Olympic telecasts, men’s noted for having more “elegance” and gymnastics participation in the United “grace” than their Russian and German States has declined significantly over the female counterparts (see “Maids on a past 30 years. Student athlete participation mission,” 1955), may have also facilitated in men’s gymnastics decreased by 75 the sport’s feminine image. percent between 1981-1982 and 2011-2012 Subsequently, American gymnasts like (National Collegiate Athletic Association, Cathy Rigby, Mary Lou Retton, Kerri Strug 2012). During the 2011-2012 season, female and, more recently, Gabby Douglas, became college gymnasts outnumbered their male household names in the United States. counterparts by more than a 4 to 1 margin. During the Cold War era, Olga Korbut, Similar statistics were reported in a 2007 Nadia Comăneci, and to a much lesser USA Gymnastics survey (USA Gymnastics, extent, Nellie Kim, were catapulted into 2008). The decline in men’s gymnastics détente darling status. The public’s participation is the result of several factors, fascination with Korbut and Comăneci (both such as the enactment of Title IX, but one of whom changed how the sport was reason may be the perception of gymnastics performed) led to a trend where the sport’s as a feminine sport (see Csizma, Wittg, & most popular figures were petite female Schurr, 1988; Hardin & Greer, 2009; teenagers (see Cahn, 1994). With Koivula, 1995; Matteo, 1988). This mainstream media narratives focusing on perception may negatively impact young young women, the media’s emphasis on the males’ interest in gymnastics as they could aesthetic/graceful elements of the sport (as deem it gender-inappropriate to participate opposed to raw power), and male American in the activity. gymnasts failing to receive media exposure comparable to the Rigbys, Korbuts, and 2 Primetime television hours in the United States are Comănecis of the world, the media helped defined as Monday through Saturday from 8:00pm – create and reinforce the sport’s feminine 11:00pm (Eastern Time) and Sunday from 7:00pm – image over several decades. 11:00pm (Eastern Time). NBC's "primetime" Whether a sport is considered Olympic coverage, however, often runs past 11:00pm and sometimes starts before 8:00pm. For masculine or feminine may have very real the purpose of this and previous Olympic studies, consequences. Eagleman (2013) argues that primetime Olympic broadcasts are defined as the U.S. print media coverage focusing on network's entire uninterrupted evening Olympic gymnastics at the 2012 London Games broadcast that runs through the primetime hours. Science of Gymnastics Journal 74 Science of Gymnastics Journal MacArthur P., Angelini J., Billings A., March A. PARALLEL LINES OF COMMENTARY? … Vol. 6 Issue 1: 73 - 84 presented both male and female gymnasts through the transfer of salience from the “in an ambivalent manner” (p. 12). Alley media to the audience. Media gatekeepers and Hicks (2005) suggest that sex influence discussion, thinking, and learning stereotyping a sport may influence who by dictating what issues receive attention chooses to participate and that “females may and this may lead to strengthened attitudes be perceived as more masculine and males (Kiousis, 2005). as more feminine if they frequently Media framing is often deconstructed participate in a ‘sex-inappropriate’ athletic into selection, emphasis and exclusion activity” (p. 278). Thus, gymnastics’ functions (Gitlin, 1980). As any given event feminine image could impact how male may generate several “different stories,” gymnasts are treated by network announcers communicators become “sponsors” of and, by extension, the perception of male frames (see Gamson, 1989, p. 158). These gymnasts by the general public. As NBC’s sponsors have the power to shape the primetime broadcast of the 2012 Games public’s interpretation of events, as issues scored an average audience of 31.1 million can be defined and terms of debates set viewers per night – 9.5 million viewers based on the frames used by the media more than the average for NCIS, the number (Tankard, 2001). How a media gatekeeper one primetime program of the 2012-2013 frames an athlete or an athlete’s season (International Olympic Committee, performance may simply be an attempt to 2012; Schneider, 2013) – the commentary describe an event in a manner that the deployed during this broadcast could shape sponsor considers most meaningful (see the perceptions of men’s gymnastics in the Gamson, 1989). That frame, however, U.S. more than any other recent telecast of provides cues that may have powerful the sport. effects as Edelman (1993) asserts: “What By examining the dialogues of NBC we ‘know’ about the nature of the social primetime announcers about male athletes world depends on how we frame and during the 2012 Olympic broadcast, this interpret cues we receive about that world” study will determine if male gymnasts are (p. 231). depicted differently than their male Summer Such postulates connect to Olympian peers on gymnastics’ biggest cultivation theory (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, North American platform: NBC’s primetime & Signorelli, 1986), suggesting that Olympic broadcast. television exposure can shape perceived social realities. Gerbner (1998) notes, Related Theory however, that the influence of television When examining gender in sports involves degrees of repetition that are media, scholars (e.g., Angelini, MacArthur “subtle, complex and intermingled with & Billings, 2012; Billings & Eastman, 2003; other influences” (p. 180). Thus,