Sports Illustrated's Coverage of Race and Ethnicity in Major League Baseball

Abstract

In an attempt to address issues with the changing demographics in Major League Baseball, most notably the declining black presence in the game, this study researches the sports media industry and its influence on professional baseball. Using a quantitative content analysis on Sports Illustrated articles, this study is able to find important results regarding the sports media’s coverage of race/ethnicity, specifically in terms of numerical representation. With agenda-setting theory as a foundation, this study converts sports media coverage results into wide-ranging conclusions about the potential benefits of using targeted sports media coverage to extend affirmative action efforts in professional baseball.