The impact of the Protest Paradigm : A media frame analysis of athletes using the national anthem as protest strategy

Abstract: The purpose of the presented research is to evaluate the presence of the protest paradigm on a non-violent protest during a sport event, using the national anthem and the national flag as its strategy. The study will examine the protest performed by Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in 1996, Carlos Delgado in 2004 and Colin Kaepernick in 2016. The empirical data is collected from three major newspapers reporting about the protest and a content analysis is performed to evaluate the presence of negative framing. Drawing from previous research an analytical framework is constructed and used to evaluate the material, presenting a number of negative frames present. The study finds that the protest paradigm is present in all three cases, however with some variations. The articles often discuss the strategy of the protest over the claim being made. Characteristics like the individual’s salary or performance, the public opinion of outsiders or the response from the authorities are highlighted. The analysis state that the use of a national symbol is problematic for an activist as this tends to become the main story in articles rather than the claim of the protest.