EVOLUTION OF COMMERCIALS FEATURING PARA ATHLETES: FROM FRIEND NEXT DOOR TO EQUAL SPORTS STARS

Kateřina Turková — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT:
This article analyses how Para athletes were presented in audiovisual commercials by companies that supported the Olympic or Paralympic Games. We focused on the framing of (dis)ability in commercials available on YouTube (2008-2021). The evolution in Para athletes’ presentation can be tracked in identified frames. The traditional defensive and supercrip frames have persisted, though less noticeably than in the past. Defensive framing accentuates the hard work and tough training of Paralympians. Its subframe, supercrip or cyborg framing, challenges the notion of disability and highlights the courage of Paralympians. One newly identified frame was the equality frame, when advertisements present Paralympians as equals living ordinary lives as able-bodied people. The portrayal of Paralympians in advertisements has evolved and corresponds with the companies’ missions and campaigns’ claims.

KEY WORDS:
athletes with a disability, commercials, framing, para athletes, sports communication, social media

03_MACKOVA-et-al_CT-1-2024 Download

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2024.Vol.15.No.1.3

‘I Have Won, and I Want to Share It’: The Ways Female Skiers Use Facebook as a Communication Tool

Kateřina Turková — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 09:39:50 +0000

ABSTRACT:
The study examines the presence of female skiers, with and without a disability, on the social media platform Facebook. It focuses on Czech and foreign athletes and discusses their posts, as well as promotional and commercial content published on their official Facebook pages. The study is based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the published content (i.e. texts, photos and videos, links, hashtags), taking into consideration fans’ reactions posted on the official Facebook pages of the selected athletes. Personal Facebook pages of four female athletes are reflected on. These athletes were successful at the World Championships in 2017. To provide consistency, all of the selected athletes are skiers (Tereza Kmochová – the Czech hearing impaired alpine skier, Šárka Strachová – the Czech alpine skier, Henrieta Farkašová – the Slovak visually impaired alpine skier and Mikaela Shiffrin – the American champion in alpine skiing). Three key research questions are posed: How the female skiers in question use their official Facebook pages for communication, promotional and commercial purposes? What are the similarities and differences present in Facebook communication of the female athletes with and without a disability? What are the similarities and differences in Facebook communication of these Czech and foreign skiers? The results prove, for example, that the ablebodied athletes post significantly more content on their official Facebook pages than the athletes with the aforementioned disabilities. Moreover, Tereza Kmochová who also participates in standard competitions tends to post more promotional content than Henrieta Farkašová who competes only in para alpine skiing.

KEY WORDS:
disabled athletes, disabled sport, impairment, Facebook, mediated sport, social media

06. MACKOVA & TURKOVA – CT 1-2019 Download

Kateřina Turková – Communication Today

EVOLUTION OF COMMERCIALS FEATURING PARA ATHLETES: FROM FRIEND NEXT DOOR TO EQUAL SPORTS STARS

‘I Have Won, and I Want to Share It’: The Ways Female Skiers Use Facebook as a Communication Tool