The Power of the Mic: Investigating the Influence of Local Sportscasters’ Biases on National Team Athletes' Identities

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines

2 Department of English, Graduate School, Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines

Abstract

This study explored the impact of media biases in local sportscasting on athletes' identity formation. Utilizing Berger and Thomas’s (1966) social constructionism theory and Mullet’s (2018) critical discourse analysis model, the research analyzed transcripts from the Philippines Men’s Basketball Team's sportscasting coverage during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. Corpus analysis identified media biases in Filipino sportscasting, and critical discourse analysis examined how dominant perspectives and power dynamics contribute to biased discourse. Meanwhile, interviews with five sportscasters and two linguists assessed how sportscasters' language influences sports fans' perceptions of athletes and teams. The findings indicate that local sportscasters’ biases shape athletes' identities by emphasizing cultural values like resilience, patriotism, and teamwork. The study also revealed that nationalism in sports media frames national team players as symbols of national pride, and that media biases influence athletes' public image by highlighting their strengths or weaknesses. This impacts public opinion and athletes' self-perception, underscoring sports media's role in shaping societal values and norms.

Keywords

Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 01 February 2025

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