Final Research Paper



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Research PaperQualitative Research 43095/4/2015Blake WhitterIntroductionThe topic for my research proposal is racial representation of White athletes and how they are portrayed in television series. To be more specific, I will be looking at how racial representation in the television series, “Friday Night Lights” and if that can affect our beliefs? Racial representation is very prevalent in today’s society. How one is portrayed on a television show often times shapes the image in how we see certain races. Sports are a great example to use when looking how sociologically different races are portrayed to the public. Often times the public gets caught up in how African Americans are seen on television but do not think about how white people are portrayed as well at times. Stereotypes tend to be negative when brought up in society, but I will be bringing up positive ideas as well as negative ones for my research Friday Night Lights is a very popular show, and was a hit on the television channel Fox. There continues to be more and more racial stereotypes in our everyday lives that depict the athleticism of the white athlete. The studies add to a plethora of research that tends to group athletes into certain categories based on race. The television show Friday Night Lights follows this in their series that revolve around sports. The white athlete is often times not given credit for the athleticism that they possess and instead give their credit of being a successful athlete to the intelligence that they possess within the game. Realizing how this is portrayed not only in television shows, but also in the media is important because these sources of information are highly influential in how our perceptions in everyday life are shaped. The influence that shows and media possess creates stereotypes that depict white athletes negatively. At the same time, the media has the power to influence the masses positively so this issue can be brought forth. The following sections will provide reoccurring topics that are brought up dealing the issue of racial representation in the show Friday Night Lights and other media resources. Research on the racial representation of the white athlete has become more prevalent in today’s society. Keith Harrison talks about how athlete’s successes are perceived in society. His article goes in depth with the explanations of college students as to why certain races have the success they do in athletics. Specifically when college students were asked about the success of white athletes is the conclusion that was come to was “white athletic success is explained as a result of hard work” (Harrison p. 348, 2011). There is further research that has this issue involved in the NFL and the NFL draft. Football is the favorite sport in America by a landslide so this issue can be seen and judged all the time. For example, Eugenio Mercury wrote an article that talked about how the white and black quarterback are depicted prior to the NFL draft. He found that “white quarterbacks were described as less physically gifted, but more physically prepared for the game and less likely to make mental errors” (Mercurio, p. 56, 2010). The NFL in ways beats around the bush when describing the type of quarterback that the white athlete is. They tend to say the white quarterback is able to win games within the pocket, process what the defense is going to do to them and they know where to go with the ball in different situations. In other words they are describing what the quotes above say. White quarterbacks are perceived to be less mobile but bring the smarts to the table like the two articles above describe. This is seen all throughout football. Andrew Billings writes an article that goes in depth comparing the white quarterback vs. the black quarterback. An interesting quote from his work is, “Often, sports teams had predominantly black players but usually had a white quarterback directing the offense” (Billings, p. 202, 2004). This situation adds to the stereotypes that are developed around the white athlete. It comes off as white athletes not being athletic enough for skill positions but are able to run what the offense wants to do because of their hard work and their mental awareness. There are more ways to go in depth with how athletes are presented to the world through what we see on television and in the media. Racial Stacking is something that J.R. Woodward talks about in his article. This deals with the over or under representation of different athletes in sports. An example of that is, “quarterbacks in football and catchers in baseball have traditionally been white” (Woodward, p. 357, 2004). While those positions have traditionally been white the skill positions that involve more running tend more of different races. Gary Sailes points out in his article that, “there remains to be the popular belief that African American athletes are physically superior to white athletes” (Sailes, p. 90, 1993). Specifically studying the television series “Friday Night Lights”, all these stereotypes of the white athlete come to fruition. The show begins in the first season with a quarterback named Jason Street. He is known as a can’t miss prospect, and the best one that Coach Taylor has ever coached. He is known for his ability to perform in a pro-style offense that is very complex. He is never mentioned to be a superior athlete to his counter part, he is just head and shoulders above the rest of the group with his maturity between the lines of a football field. After his injury another white quarterback by the name of Matt Saracen steps in to fill his role and he is known for being average across the board when it comes to his physical skillset. What makes Matt successful is Coach Taylor knew what he was getting from him. In the first season a black quarterback named Voodoo Tatum came into the picture and he was superiorly talented but Coach Taylor did not play him because he liked Matt’s knowledge of the offense and knew what he was getting out him, in being a steady player. In the fourth and fifth season a new white player steps in. His name is Luke Cafferty. Luke is a running back, but he still fits the same mold as the white quarterbacks in the show. He is one of the best players on the team but is known for being good because of his hard work and tough mentality. Like Matt Saracen, Luke is considered to be a good high school player. They both end up being state champions and well known players in Texas. The interesting thing is neither was really recruited to play college football. They lacked the athleticism and skills to play at the college level. They fit the mold of the stereotypical white athlete that is able to excel in at the high school level but when it comes down to moving on to the next level with skillful players they do not even get a shot. Matt goes to art school and Luke joins the military. It is interesting that these characters were such renown high school athletes but cannot get a lick of interest to keep playing the game that they love at the collegiate level.In Jeff Stowes article, he goes in depth with research pertaining to how stereotypes can negatively affect athletes. For example, “their concern could turn to anger, aggressiveness, and militant action, but the potential threat of stereotyped negatively might also lead targets to become anxious, withdrawn and even self-hating” (Stowe, p. 1213, 1999). When athletes are stereotyped negatively it effects whether they even want to participate. A white athlete being perceived as not very athletic and not having the good of a chance to succeed at what they want to do can possibly keep them from even attempting the sport or causing them to have a negative mindset and hindering the way they perform. Overall, the way media and television shows portray the white athlete allows for a negative stereotype that can affect the performance of individuals and the chasing of dreams. Television shows like Friday Night Lights are the perfect example of that. We can take out of the show that for the white athlete you can win multiple state titles, be the captain of your team and have ample amounts of success, but there is a good chance you do not even get a shot at collegiate sports. The perception that white athlete gets by off of their intelligence not only hinders the white athlete and throws them all into a category, but it also hurts athletes of different races. People will want the athlete to have more natural athleticism like other races but at the same time people will want athletes of different races to have the same intelligence and work ethic of the white athlete. The media and television shows developing this stereotype has been successful at putting a negative stigma on sports all around America because they have convinced some people that before the white athlete even stars, they should know that they are starting at a disadvantage because the other athletes they are competing with have more natural athleticism and it will be tough to succeed at the sport that they want to do. Friday Night Lights is a good example of that. Data MethodsThis study allowed the opportunity to use an unobtrusive method to go in depth with how “Friday Night Lights” the series portrays the white athlete and how they are perceived in sports. I performed a content analysis of 2 different seasons (seasons 1 and 5) to really provide examples as to how white athletes are portrayed. Content analysis allows for the chance to perform a study without having to interact and actually be a part of the data. In this study I did research on the two seasons shown above and also peer reviewed journals to provide more in depth analysis of the information provided. “Friday Night Lights” is a show based on high school kids living in an area in Texas where football is king. This show provides a variety of different relationships and really shows how people in this town operate while football is so important. There is a mixture of different races in the show and it allows a researcher to see how they interact and are portrayed within the city and how people who are watching the show can take that into their daily views. I chose to work with and study “Friday Night Lights” because I think it does a good job of showing how different types of athletes are perceived, how they impact the sport they play and how they let the way they are perceived impact their everyday lives. This show has a coach that has deal with different groups and different people outside of the program trying to push him to do different things with the players and it really allows for the opportunity to see how people feel about certain athletes and how they want teams to be run based on the players that they have. Being an athlete, it has always been interesting to me see how white athletes are portrayed and the show “Friday Night Lights” really does a good job of giving good examples that people can relate to when watching the show. With that being said, content analysis was the best methodology for the research I came up with: “How white athletes are portrayed in the show “Friday Night Lights”.I went through and watched the whole series and the best seasons to provide examples with my research question were seasons 1 and 5. After I found the data that best described and provided examples for my research question. I was able to group the data found and narrow it down to the two seasons (1 and 5). The purpose of grouping and narrowing the data down to these two seasons was to show the best possible examples of how the white athlete was portrayed in this show. After finding the information needed to provide good examples I developed three themes to provide thick description and examples of the research question. Providing limitations within this research is important because there are other routes to provide the data needed to get the information across. There is a good chance by limiting my research to “Friday Night Lights” I have missed other valuable information from other outlets of information. Even though content analysis was a good method to provide important research, there were not in depth interviews or focus groups involved to get more in depth information such as people’s beliefs and attitudes towards the topic. Data AnalysisThe reason this study was put together was to research the show “Friday Night Lights” and provide information as to how the white athlete is perceived in shows and in society. In order to provide the best examples, I chose to work with two of the five seasons that are provided. The seasons that I was working with were season 1 and season 5. These seasons have the shows that provide the best illustrations with how white athletes are perceived in today’s society. The information that I have found answers my research question “How the white athlete is portrayed in the show Friday Night Lights”. There were three themes that were able to come out of this show. (1) White athletes are shown as not having superior athletic skills but get by on intelligence and work ethic. (2) White athletes are shown as being steady athletes, and we know what we are getting when we have them. (3) White athletes are shown as being good high school athletes, but not having what it takes to play at the next level. Below I will go in depth with each theme to provide the best understanding of how this show illustrates these themes. Theme 1: In the show “Friday Night Lights”, White athletes are shown as not having superior athletic skills but get by on intelligence and work ethic. In this show there are ample amount of examples that show the white athlete being inferior athletically to that of black athletes. Throughout the information that was gathered, white athletes are shown to get by on their knowledge of the game and the work ethic they instill to keep themselves at par with the competition. For example, in the first season right out of the gate, Jason Street is described as the most intelligent that a lot of people have ever seen in high school football. His ability to run a pro-style offense was off the charts and the work that he put in to get where he is at set him up to go to any school that he wanted. Even after his injury the examples continue to come. Matt Seracen takes over at quarterback after Jason Street’s injury and he is not known for his athleticism at all. He struggles mightily at first but begins to gain confidence from the coaching staff. A transfer quarterback by the name of Voodoo Tatum comes in and is black. The boosters that back the Dillon Panthers push and push Coach Taylor to put him in because of his superior athletic ability. Matt keeps his job and continued on at the position for a couple years. In season five Luke Kafferty comes into the picture as a white running back. He is considered to be a very good high school running back and is playing for a team that is not good at all. In his first season with Coach Taylor he has to take the reins at quarterback even though he has never played it, because he is trustworthy and has a high football IQ. He also is the leader of the defense and the makes the defensive calls to put them in the right situation. His continued hard allowed him to be put in the best situations possible. The theme that white athletes are not superior athletes but get by on intelligence is the most prevalent in the first season. Although this theme occurred throughout, the first season provided the most elaborate examples. The fact that boosters wanted Matt Seracen out as quarterback for Voodoo Tatum really provides a lot of examples within that situation to make this theme important. Theme 2: In the show “Friday Night Lights”, white athletes are shown as being steady athletes and we know what we are getting when we have them.This show provides many life lessons throughout the entire show. It really does a good job of engaging you in the show and bringing forth many relevant topics in life. With that being said, it continues to portray the white athletes in ways that develop stereotypes in today’s society. The best examples of this theme come in season one. The first example is with Matt Seracen and the boosters wanting to make the switch to Voodoo Tatum. Despite Voodoo being more athletic he was a bit reckless. Coach Taylor could not trust him and therefore could not hand him the reins as starting quarterback. When coach was asked about why he continues to stick with Seracen at quarterback, his response was, “I know what I am getting with Matt” (Friday Night Lights, Season 1). Even though Voodoo was gifted athletically, Matt’s smarts, and knowledge of the game allowed him to have all the trust in the world from coach and that allowed him his success. Another example is the role of Tim Riggins on this football team. In season 1, he is known as a bruiser. He is a big rough guy that knows football and is successful because of his strength and his toughness. He mixes in at the running back position with Smash Williams and they have contrasting styles. Smash, who is a black running back, is known for his speed and agility, while Riggins is known for his ability to flat out run you over. This is a constant theme throughout the show. In season five Luke Kafferty is a great player but is overshadowed by Vince Howard is another leader on the team and happens to be black. Although this show does a great job of bringing characters together to achieve a goal as team, it is a constant that the white athlete involved is known as the hard working, smart, and even bruising player. When it comes to how the athletes in the show are perceived, the white athlete seems to be someone that brings the teams together and someone that they can rally around instead of being someone that puts the team on their back and carries them with their overwhelming athletic skills. Theme 3: In the show “Friday Night Lights” white are shown to be good high school athletes but do not have what it takes to play at the next level. In season 1 of “Friday Night Lights” Matt Seracen is a quarterback that takes over and is a key component to leading this team to the state championship. He does everything that is asked of a quarterback including lead them to the state championship game two seasons in a row. Even with all of that, he does not get an opportunity to play at the collegiate level. In season 5, Luke Kafferty falls under the same mold. He is a team leader on offense and defense. Luke helps lead his team to a complete turnaround of a bad program in East Dillon High and they go on to win a state championship. He is smart and gifted player who has athleticism that teams’ game planned for to take him out of the picture. Once again, he does not get the college interest. One college even used him to get to Vince because that is who they wanted (Friday Night Lights, Season 5). In the end, Luke goes on to join the military instead of having a dream fulfilled of playing collegiate football. The ways these athletes are portrayed in these seasons help reinforce the stereotypes of how white athletes are portrayed in shows and in society. These athletes not playing collegiate football was a theme throughout the show and really helps show how they are seen in the society. ConclusionThis research project was geared to analyze how “How the white athlete is portrayed in the show Friday Night Lights”. The information provided in season 1 and 5 provided the best opportunity to develop three themes throughout the show. These themes are supported by examples throughout the show. The first theme is that white athletes are shown as not having superior athletic skills but they get by on intelligence and work ethic. The best examples of this came in season 1 and 5 where Matt Seracen and Luke Kafferty are both top notch high school football players but are not known as being superior athletically but their football knowledge is what propels them to high school football stardom. The shows consistent point they get across is that white athletes have success in high school because they know the game and they work hard to put them in good situations. The second theme is that white athletes are steady and you know what you are getting when you have them. Examples of this are shown with the handling of Matt Seracen and the Voodoo Tatum situation, Tim Riggins with Smash Williams and Luke Kafferty with Vince Howard. In all of these situations the white athlete is shown as trustworthy and someone coach can always count on to be in the right positions on the field. The last theme is that white athletes are shown as being good high school athletes but not having what it takes to play at the next level. The best examples of this are Matt Seracen and Luke Kafferty and the success they had in high school and not getting the opportunity to play at the collegiate level. They were consistently over looked and it helped show importance to the research question provided. The way the white athlete is portrayed in society is concerning because it provides a negative stereotype to white athletes to what they can and cannot do. “Friday Night Lights” is a show that does a tremendous job of bringing people together and showing the relationships that can be built through sports but at the same time they help promote them stereotypes that can be developed through the white athlete. White athletes are prevalent in all professional sports so it is wrong to promote white athletes as people who are inferior athletes. BibliographyBillings C., Andrew. 2004. “Depicting the Quarterback in Black and White: A content Analysis of College and Professional Football Broadcast Commentary”. The Howard Journal of Communication 15: 201-2010. DOI:10.1080/10646170490521158Buffington, Daniel and Fraley, Todd. 2008. “Skill in Black and White. Negotiating Media Images of Race in a Sporting Context” Journal of Communication Inquiry Vol. 32: 292-310. Harrison, Keith, Suzanne Malia Lawrence, and Scott J. Bukstein. 2011. “White College Students’ Explanations of White (and Black) Athletic Performance: A Qualitative Investigation of White College Students”. Sociology of Sport Journal 28: 347-361. Lee, J. Moon, and Bichard L. Shannon. 2009. “Television Viewing and Ethnic Stereotypes: Do College Students Form Stereotypical Perceptions of Ethnic Groups as a Result of Heavy Television Consumption?” The Howard Journal of Communications 20:95-110.Mercurio, Eugenio, and Filak F., Vincent. 2010. “Roughing the Passer: The Framing of NFL Quarterbacks prior to the NFL Draft”. The Howard Journal of Communications 21: 56-71. DOI: 10.1080/10646170903501328Sailes A., Gary. 1993. “An Investigation of Campus Stereotypes: The Myth of Black Athlete Superiority and the Dumb Jock Stereotype”. Sociology of Sport Journal, 10: 88-97. Stone, Jeff, Christian I. Lynch, Mike Sjomeling, and John M. Darley. 1999. “Stereotype Threat Effects on Black and White Athletic Performance”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Vol. 77, No. 6: 1213-1227. Woodward, J.R.. 2004. “Professional Football Scouts: An Investigation of Racial Stacking”. Sociology of Sport Journal, 4: 356-375. ................
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