ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines why sports are significant in society, why there is a need to study sports media, and the sports media’s role in reinforcing stereotypes, through previous scholarship and the Sherman example. It provides an overview of the scholarship produced and outlines the difference of quantitative and qualitative studies and their findings that have contributed significantly to the body of scholarship in regards to race in sports coverage. The trivialization of sports media began to change in the late 1980s as technology changed the capabilities of broadcast companies in the US. Richard Sherman’s intelligence and success challenge the sports media’s use of two stereotypes—sports as a means to escape the ghetto and the dumb jock—used in covering his post-game interview. This also showed that stereotypes trumped the outcome of the game, further trivializing sports media back into the toy store.
