Date of Publication

Spring 5-3-2017

Document Type

Undergraduate Project

Professor's Name

Dr. Emily Dane-Staples

Abstract

The career of an athlete may shape the narrative that the media uses when writing articles on that player when they retire. Many people fail to understand how the media constructs articles the way they do on Major League Baseball (MLB) players upon retirement. This research study used a mixed method approach to show how the media covers certain professional MLB players when they retire. The researcher counted how many times chosen variables were mentioned in two different articles of sixteen retired MLB players, and then extracted quotes from those articles. This study found that superstar pitchers and superstar hitters were mentioned more in great depth when compared to non-superstar pitchers and non-superstar hitters upon retirement. The information being discussed and researched is important because it shows there wasn’t enough attention being given to the non-superstar athletes for what they did throughout their career. These athletes should be given more recognition by the media for what they have accomplished statistically throughout their entire careers. Therefore, all athletes whether Superstar or not should have a deserving farewell to Baseball.

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