The Quarterbacks of the NFL Draft: A Study into the Media Coverage of the 2012 & 2020 First Round Quarterbacks Christopher F. Clements Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts In Communications Stephanie Smith (Chair) Chelsea Woods Nneka Logan May 10, 2020 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: thematic analysis, sports media, framing theory, race The Quarterbacks of the NFL Draft: A Study into the Media Coverage of the 2012 & 2020 First Round Quarterbacks Christopher F. Clements Abstract This study seeks to identify, understand, and compare the themes created, by the print media, utilized to ascribe identity to college quarterbacks as they are entering the NFL Draft. The study will compare the four first-round quarterbacks from the 2020 NFL Draft and four first- round quarterbacks from the 2012 NFL Draft; which because of its historic nature of being the first draft to include a white and Black quarterback of drafted number one and two, respectively, is used as a baseline. The study uses framing theory and previous research to understand the themes present in the media coverage of these quarterbacks from the 2020 NFL Draft and the 2012 NFL Draft. A total of 112 newspaper articles from the Newsbank database were analyzed using qualitative research methods to compare the differences in frames that exist due to the racial background of each quarterback. Additionally, the difference in narratives and expressed frames, depicted by the print media over an eight-year time span were compared and examined using framing theory. The findings reveal that in both 2012 and 2020 there was racial framing utilized, in the sports media, when describing college quarterbacks and these racial frames functioned as a reflection of the existing racial views within society. The findings also displayed a clear difference between the frames present in 2012 and 2020. This difference, however, did not point toward a lessening of racial framing, but rather to a shift in the formation of the themes utilized, by the sports media, to create the racial frames. The Quarterbacks of the NFL Draft: A Study into the Media Coverage of the 2012 & 2020 First Round Quarterbacks Christopher F. Clements General Audience Abstract This study examines the sports media and its coverage of eight college quarterbacks as they enter the NFL Draft. The study utilizes the four quarterbacks drafted in both the 2012 and 2020 NFL Draft in order to understand the racial themes that are present throughout 112 newspaper articles. The unique history of the 2012 NFL Draft which featured a white and Black quarterback drafted one and two, respectively, serves as a baseline for the comparison of racially driven themes used by the media. Racially driven themes are used throughout sports media to produce narratives about sports topics for the public’s consumption. This study seeks to understand the presence of racial themes throughout the sports media’s coverage of college quarterbacks as well as the difference in these themes during the eight-year gap between 2012 and 2020. Previous research has shown the sports media to create narratives about athletes that attempt to mirror society. The changing racial landscape present in today’s society serves as a backdrop to understand how the sports media alters its narrative choices in order to mimic society. The findings reveal a presence of racially driven themes throughout the 112 articles for both the 2012 and 2020 NFL Drafts and display a clear difference between the formation and utilization of the themes used to create these narratives within the eight-year gap. Although the findings communicate a clear shift in the racial themes, they do not demonstrate a less racially driven form of theme development. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 1 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................................................... 2 FRAMES AND FRAMEWORKS.................................................................................................................................... 2 FRAMING THEORY .................................................................................................................................................... 5 STRATEGIC FRAMING .............................................................................................................................................. 8 THEMES IN MEDIA & SPORTS ................................................................................................................................ 12 RACIAL IDENTITY IN SPORTS ................................................................................................................................ 17 2012 NFL DRAFT ................................................................................................................................................... 22 2020 NFL DRAFT ................................................................................................................................................... 25 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES ........................................................................................................... 27 METHOD ........................................................................................................................................................... 29 DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................................................................................ 30 DATA ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 FINDINGS .......................................................................................................................................................... 34 RQ 1: THEMES ....................................................................................................................................................... 34 Future performance justification ..................................................................................................................... 34 Attribute and Talent Characterization .............................................................................................................. 36 Appearance and Cultural Reputation ............................................................................................................... 38 Positions of Influence and Power ..................................................................................................................... 40 Compatibility with the Status Quo .................................................................................................................... 41 Language and Connotation Usage. .................................................................................................................. 43 HYPOTHESIS 1 ........................................................................................................................................................ 45 RQ2: CHANGES IN FRAMES ................................................................................................................................... 45 HYPOTHESIS 2 ........................................................................................................................................................ 48 DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................................................................... 48 STRATEGIC FRAMING ............................................................................................................................................ 49 RACIAL STEREOTYPES ........................................................................................................................................... 52 POWER STRUCTURE ............................................................................................................................................... 56 FRAMING RACIAL IDENTITY ................................................................................................................................. 59 IDEOLOGY .............................................................................................................................................................. 61 RACIAL THEMES .................................................................................................................................................... 63 NON-WHITE ATHLETES .......................................................................................................................................... 66 LIMITATIONS .................................................................................................................................................. 66 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................... 67 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................... 69 APPENDIX A: THEME TABLE ......................................................................................................................