Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of ESPN.com coverage of Colin Kaepernick’s protest against social injustice during the national anthem and the related events that transpired following his initial protest. The analysis looks at ESPN.com articles (N = 305) during three time periods throughout the protest saga, ranging from August 2016 until September 2018. Specifically, the analysis aimed to see whether framing of his protest changed over time as well as the extent to which the overall coverage adhered to a well-known concept called the protest paradigm, which is a framework that outlines how journalists typically cover protests. Results showed content only partially adhered to the protest paradigm and was dependent on the topic of the article. However, even in stories not about the protest, paradigm characteristics were still present. This paper shows how a sports outlet like ESPN covers social protests by athletes and the extent to which its coverage adheres to the paradigm, which is usually applied to mass protests. This study adds to a growing body of literature about the protest paradigm in a sports media context.