Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the use of media frames in covering professional sports team's departures from their host city. The cities of Cleveland and Charlotte were examined in this study pertaining to their respective losses of the Browns and Hornets professional franchises. This study was done by collecting newspaper articles from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Charlotte Observer from a set time frame surrounding the loss of their teams: The articles were coded based on time frame, being either past, present, or future. The articles were also coded based on the media frame (frames were developed using Hallahan's seven frames) and included; a situation beyond the cities control, the cities attempts to keep the team, responsibility placed on one person or a group of persons, and the teams legacy and importance to the city. This information was analyzed to see if there was in fact a difference in the coverage by each newspaper. After the results were analyzed, the researcher found that there was a significant difference in the media framing from one team to another. The Cleveland Plain Dealer focused on the "cities attempts" and "legacy" frames while the Charlotte Observer focused their stories in the "situation beyond control" and "legacy" frames. This study is important in the fact that the problem of teams relocating is something that will be a permanent part of professional sports.With-the recent trends in professional franchise ownership, instances like the Charlotte case will occur much more often. In studying the media's use of frames, cities and journalists who seek to fight to keep the team in the city can have better knowledge of how to use the media to continue their fight.