Rowan University Rowan Digital Works Theses and Dissertations 5-13-2008 The image of professional wrestling: a case study of the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide Neil Borenstein Rowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd Part of the Public Relations and Advertising Commons Recommended Citation Borenstein, Neil, "The image of professional wrestling: a case study of the Chris Benoit double murder- suicide" (2008). Theses and Dissertations. 687. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/687 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Rowan Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Rowan Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE IMAGE OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING: A CASE STUDY OF THE CHRIS BENOIT DOUBLE MURDER-SUICIDE by Neil Borenstein A Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Masters of Arts Degree of The Graduate School of Rowan University May 13, 2008 Approved by ; 2, 26-ma Date approved /' V' © 2008 Neil Borenstein ABSTRACT Neil Borenstein THE IMAGE OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING: A CASE STUDY OF THE CHRIS BENOIT DOUBLE MURDER-SUICIDE 2008 Adviser: Dr. Suzanne Sparks FitzGerald Public Relations Graduate Program This study investigates the media's role in influencing public perception of the professional wrestling industry following the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide. The researcher sought to understand the manner in which newspapers portrayed the professional wrestling industry and whether media coverage in general played a role in forming the public's opinion of the industry. Through a content analysis of articles and headlines in The New York Times and The Miami Herald,the researcher evaluated the tone of the media coverage of the professional wrestling industry. Intercept studies conducted at two southern New Jersey sports bars revealed where people received their information about the Benoit incident, whether they found the media accounts believable and how the reports made them feel about the professional wrestling industry. It was found that the media covered professional wrestling in a mostly neutral manner following the Benoit incident. Surveyed respondents also had a neutral attitude toward the professional wrestling industry and their opinions were not changed by media coverage. MINI-ABSTRACT Neil Borenstein THE IMAGE OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING: A CASE STUDY OF THE CHRIS BENOIT DOUBLE MURDER-SUICIDE 2008 Adviser: Dr. Suzanne Sparks FitzGerald Public Relations Graduate Program This study investigates the media's role in influencing public perception of the professional wrestling industry following the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide. A content analysis was conducted to'determine the tone of media coverage regarding professional wrestling. Intercept studies determined public opinion of the industry and whether the media played a role in forming that opinion. Research revealed that the media covered professional wrestling in a neutral manner. The public had a neutral attitude toward the industry, as well, though perception was independent of media coverage. Acknowledgments Working through a master's program is a difficult, yet rewarding, experience that can only be accomplished with the guidance and support of numerous people. I would like to thank Dr. Suzanne Sparks FitzGerald. Her assistance and direction through every step of writing this thesis paper and the entire graduate program made it all that more manageable and meaningful. I would also like to thank my parents, Howard and Phyllis Borenstein, for encouraging all of my educational pursuits. Finally, I would like to extend my appreciation to all my professors, friends and co-workers. Whether they know it or not, each of them played some role in my completion of this master's program. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments...............................................................................1i Tables of Figures ................................................................................. v Chapter One Importance of the Problem..................................................................1 Problem Statement........................................................................... 5 Purpose ..................................................................................... 6 Procedure ................................................................................... 8 Delimitations ................................................................................ 9 Summary .................................................................................. 10 Terminology ................................................................................ 11 Chapter Two The History of Professional Wrestling in America......................................12 Sociological Perspectives Violence................................................................................16 Gender Roles.............................................................................17 Professional Wrestling as Sport ........................................................... 19 Sports Public Relations.....................................................................20 Media Relations.........................................................................22 Professional Wrestling and the Media....................................................23 Television vs. Newspapers ................................................................ 24 Summary .................................................................................. 2 5 Chapter Four Results.....................................................................................32 General Findings ........................................................................... 41 Chapter Five Discussion.................................................................................43 General Findings ........................................................................... 45 Further Research............................................................................45 Conclusion ................................................................................. 46 References ........................................................................................ 48 Appendix -- Intercept Survey ................................................................... 51 iv TABLE OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 ........................................................................................... 28 Figure 2 ........................................................................................... 34 Figure 3 ........................................................................................... 34 Figure 4........................................................................................3 5 Figure 5 ........................................................................................... 36 Figure 6 ........................................................................................ 37 Figure 7............................................................"...... ... ... ... ... ...... ... .... 39 Figure 8 ........................................................................................ 39 Figure 9...........................................................................................40 Figure 10..........................................................................................42 Chapter One Importance of the Problem Like Rodney Dangerfield, professional wrestling receives little respect. Often decried as ignorant or juvenile, pro wrestling is frequently lumped with other forms of 'trash' culture, such as television soap operas and NASCAR. The situation for wrestling is, if anything, even worse than its fellow cultural bottom- feeders. Although NASCAR received a measure of support as a legitimate sport and soaps are viewed as an aspect of escapist entertainment, wrestling resides somewhere beyond the pale, (Beekman, 2006, p. 1). Scott M. Beekman (2006), a visiting assistant professor of history at Ohio University, begins his book, "Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America," garnering some credibility upon an industry considered little more than a distant relative of"real" professional sport because of its choreographed matches and scripted storylines. According to Michael Atkinson (2002): While largely discounted as genuine sport by most, professional wrestling has evolved from a minor source of "entertainment" to a culturally powerful multi- media complex. Attracting audiences of fifty million viewers on a weekly basis, professional wrestling has become the number one rated "sports-entertainment" program on television. In doing so, professional wrestling broadcasts challenge long-standing cultural constructions of sport in North America, while hyperbolizing and unapologetically exploiting that which is highly entertaining about professional sports contests, (p. 47). The industry became a lot more real, however, on June 25, 2007. The bodies of Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel, were discovered at their Fayetteville, Ga. residence at about 2:30 p.m. Authorities concluded that Benoit killed Nancy and Daniel over the course of the weekend, and then took his own life. For an industry mostly shunned by the media and left absent from broadcasts and news pages, an incident of this magnitude drew a heightened interest from the press and fans alike. In a collection of essays titled "Benoit: