Thesis
"It was all consensual": The news, sexual assault, and college athletes
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
05/2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000004072
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/125286
Abstract
The intersection of news about sexual assault and student-athletes must be further investigated since it is a topic that is affecting numerous students and institutions across the United States. This study sought to investigate the portrayal of college athletes that are involved in sexual assault cases as alleged perpetrator. This content analysis explored 179 newspaper articles from 2014 to 2018 where college athletes are alleged perpetrators in sexual assault cases as well as the presence of rape myths. Results showed that intoxication might be used as a technique to either blame the alleged victim or defend the alleged perpetrator, particularly in articles where the alleged perpetrator is a college football player. Furthermore, it also showed that the emphasis on the characteristics of the alleged perpetrator are different when comparing the results of this study with similar studies that conducted a content analysis of news involving professional athletes. In conclusion, rape myths are still very present in newspaper articles that discuss college athletes as alleged perpetrators of sexual assault.
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Details
- Title
- "It was all consensual"
- Creators
- Leticia Couto Fazio de Albuquerque Lira
- Contributors
- Stacey Jolene Hust (Chair) - Washington State University, Program in CommunicationJessica Kay Fitts Willoughby (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of Strategic CommunicationMina Park (Committee Member)Kathleen Boyce Rodgers (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of Human Development
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Identifiers
- 99900890789401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis