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DOI

https://doi.org/10.51221/sc.jiia.2026.19.1.13

Abstract

Following the viral interaction between Nyck Harbor and the Texas State Trooper, Black sport media figures dominated the discourse surrounding the incident. By centering Black sport media figures as sources of discursive authority, this study illuminates the role of (Black) sport media in shaping the understanding and response to experiences of Black college athletes. Using Thompson’s (2022) abductive thematic content analysis, commentary from eight prominent Black sport media voices - Bomani Jones, Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, Von Miller, Marcellus Wiley, Jason Whitlock, and Etan Thomas - was analyzed. With Dawson's (1994) Linked Fate Theory (LFT) as the analytic framework, the study explores how Black media discourse situates the Harbor-Trooper interaction within the broader social discourse. The findings reveal two disruptions in LFT: Racialized (Athletic) Labor and Intra-group Ideological Disruption. The former emphasizes how the commodification of Black athletic labor results in conditional support from out-group communities, whereas the latter exposes how sociopolitical ideological differences within Black discourse amplify resistance. Collectively, these disruptions demonstrate how viral incidents become sites of racial sensemaking that extend beyond sport. These findings position Black sport media figures as prominent voices who interpret, contextualize, and contest racialized incidents involving Black college athletes.

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