Abstract:
This study presents a quantitative analysis of the dialogues from four primetime national
television play-by-play broadcasters within the NFL. In 2017, Beth Mowins became the first
woman in the history of the NFL to step into a primetime national television booth. Mowins
called the second opening-week ESPN Monday Night Football game between the Los Angeles
Chargers and the Denver Broncos on September 11, 2017. After the telecast, Mowins was met
with an outcry of complaints from fans on social media. Many of the remarks were steeped in
sexism. This study examines the root of those complaints, while using Impression Formation
Theory as the guiding framework. Through a content analysis, four of the NFL’s primetime
television announcers (Jim Nantz, Al Michaels, Joe Buck, and Beth Mowins) are tested through
10 variables. Those variables include the handling of scoring plays, the frequency of corrections,
bias, historical knowledge, NFL rules knowledge, terminology, questions to their analyst,
airtime, access, and statistical use. Tested through chi-squared (also written χ2 test) and Fisher’s
exact test, this study shows there is little to no difference in the language use between Mowins
and the three male broadcasters within these 10 variables. Therefore, this study suggests the
social media complaints by fans cannot be based upon Mowins’ ability to provide a television
play-by-play call of an NFL game.
