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The Thematic Evolution of Sports Journalism's Narrative of Mental Illness

A Little Less Conversation

Ronald Bishop - Contributions by Margaret Fedorocsko and Amanda Milo

In The Thematic Evolution of Sports Journalism’s Narrative of Mental Illness: A Little Less Conversation, Ronald Bishop contends that the conversation developed and sustained by sports journalists about professional athletes’ experience with mental illness has evolved through three slightly overlapping stages, each marked by a primary theme. During the first stage, from the end of the 19th Century to the middle of the 20th century, sports journalists sensationalized the experience and portrayed the athletes—breathlessly labeled insane—as tragic figures. During the roughly two-decade second stage, an athlete’s experience with mental illness was portrayed as an inconvenience that flummoxed and infuriated team officials who had neither the ability nor the inclination to address the issue. The final stage, leading up to present day and beyond, is most notable for the development and widespread adoption of a coverage template that centers around an athlete’s brave decision to reveal and discuss their experiences. Combining historical research and narrative analysis, Bishop interrogates whether sports journalists have finally begun to cover the experience of mental illness with sufficient depth. Scholars of media studies, journalism, celebrity studies, and sports psychology will find this book of particular interest.

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  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Features
Lexington Books
Pages: 454 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-1-66692-762-7 • Hardback • March 2023 • $120.00 • (£92.00)
Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism, Social Science / Media Studies, Sports & Recreation / Sports Psychology

Ronald Bishop is professor in the Department of Communication at Drexel University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Media and Mental Illness

Chapter 2: Life in the “Toy Department”

Chapter 3: “The Act of a Madman”

Chapter 4: “Natural Sunshine”

Chapter 5: “All Squared Around”

Chapter 6: “Life’s Third Strike”

Chapter 7: “Quite a Stir”

Chapter 8: “All Sunny Jim”

Ronald Bishop and Maggie Fedorocsko

Chapter 9: “Just a Touch of Rubberitis”

Chapter 10: “Drop a Cheer-Up Card”

Chapter 11: “With a Haughty Indifference”

Chapter 12: “The Endless Mystery”

Chapter 13: “A Psychiatrist’s Dream”

Chapter 14: “I’m Doing Fine”

Chapter 15: Of Battles Won

Ronald Bishop and Amanda Milo

Chapter 16: On Their Terms

Chapter 17: Becoming Fully Narratable

Ronald Bishop and Amanda Milo

Chapter 18: All Roads Lead to Elvis

References

About the Author

This book explores a series of case studies of how American sports journalists have represented mental health and illness since the 1900s. It begins with an overview of the historical treatment of the mentally ill in the US. Next, Bishop acknowledges the fraught relationship between sports writers and the leagues and teams that control their access to athletes. Sports writers often have closer, cozier relationships with owners and the management than other reporters do, which sometimes impacts a story’s framing. The bulk of the book describes decades of media representations of athletes' mental illnesses, ranging from suicidality to bipolar disorder. The result is a dense history and critical analysis concluding that, historically, sports writers were not attuned to the struggles of their subjects because they were too worried about promoting the sport, the league, and the team. Even today, although media coverage of mental health concerns has increased and writers offer more nuance and sensitivity, the tendency is still toward sensationalized coverage privileging the team over self-care. Sports reporters have not always given complicated people and complicated situations the complicated stories they require, resulting in too little action to support the mental health of athletes. Recommended. All readership levels.


— Choice Reviews


“Ron Bishop has written a very important and long overdue book about mental illness and professional athletes. Bishop points out that journalists and society have long denied the human tragedy of athletes who struggle with mental illness. As someone who has long suffered from mental illness, this book left me with the question, what if? If Bishop’s book broadens our perspective about mental illness, it will have accomplished something so few books have done,”


— Chris Lamb, Indiana University-Indianapolis, author of Conspiracy of Silence: Sportswriters and the Long Campaign to Desegregate Baseball


1/25/24, Choice: This title was included in “The Top 75 Community College Titles: January 2024” feature.

Link:https://www.choice360.org/choice-pick/the-top-75-community-college-titles-january-2024/



The Thematic Evolution of Sports Journalism's Narrative of Mental Illness

A Little Less Conversation

Cover Image
Hardback
Summary
Summary
  • In The Thematic Evolution of Sports Journalism’s Narrative of Mental Illness: A Little Less Conversation, Ronald Bishop contends that the conversation developed and sustained by sports journalists about professional athletes’ experience with mental illness has evolved through three slightly overlapping stages, each marked by a primary theme. During the first stage, from the end of the 19th Century to the middle of the 20th century, sports journalists sensationalized the experience and portrayed the athletes—breathlessly labeled insane—as tragic figures. During the roughly two-decade second stage, an athlete’s experience with mental illness was portrayed as an inconvenience that flummoxed and infuriated team officials who had neither the ability nor the inclination to address the issue. The final stage, leading up to present day and beyond, is most notable for the development and widespread adoption of a coverage template that centers around an athlete’s brave decision to reveal and discuss their experiences. Combining historical research and narrative analysis, Bishop interrogates whether sports journalists have finally begun to cover the experience of mental illness with sufficient depth. Scholars of media studies, journalism, celebrity studies, and sports psychology will find this book of particular interest.

Details
Details
  • Lexington Books
    Pages: 454 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
    978-1-66692-762-7 • Hardback • March 2023 • $120.00 • (£92.00)
    Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism, Social Science / Media Studies, Sports & Recreation / Sports Psychology
Author
Author
  • Ronald Bishop is professor in the Department of Communication at Drexel University.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents

    Acknowledgments

    Introduction

    Chapter 1: The Media and Mental Illness

    Chapter 2: Life in the “Toy Department”

    Chapter 3: “The Act of a Madman”

    Chapter 4: “Natural Sunshine”

    Chapter 5: “All Squared Around”

    Chapter 6: “Life’s Third Strike”

    Chapter 7: “Quite a Stir”

    Chapter 8: “All Sunny Jim”

    Ronald Bishop and Maggie Fedorocsko

    Chapter 9: “Just a Touch of Rubberitis”

    Chapter 10: “Drop a Cheer-Up Card”

    Chapter 11: “With a Haughty Indifference”

    Chapter 12: “The Endless Mystery”

    Chapter 13: “A Psychiatrist’s Dream”

    Chapter 14: “I’m Doing Fine”

    Chapter 15: Of Battles Won

    Ronald Bishop and Amanda Milo

    Chapter 16: On Their Terms

    Chapter 17: Becoming Fully Narratable

    Ronald Bishop and Amanda Milo

    Chapter 18: All Roads Lead to Elvis

    References

    About the Author

Reviews
Reviews
  • This book explores a series of case studies of how American sports journalists have represented mental health and illness since the 1900s. It begins with an overview of the historical treatment of the mentally ill in the US. Next, Bishop acknowledges the fraught relationship between sports writers and the leagues and teams that control their access to athletes. Sports writers often have closer, cozier relationships with owners and the management than other reporters do, which sometimes impacts a story’s framing. The bulk of the book describes decades of media representations of athletes' mental illnesses, ranging from suicidality to bipolar disorder. The result is a dense history and critical analysis concluding that, historically, sports writers were not attuned to the struggles of their subjects because they were too worried about promoting the sport, the league, and the team. Even today, although media coverage of mental health concerns has increased and writers offer more nuance and sensitivity, the tendency is still toward sensationalized coverage privileging the team over self-care. Sports reporters have not always given complicated people and complicated situations the complicated stories they require, resulting in too little action to support the mental health of athletes. Recommended. All readership levels.


    — Choice Reviews


    “Ron Bishop has written a very important and long overdue book about mental illness and professional athletes. Bishop points out that journalists and society have long denied the human tragedy of athletes who struggle with mental illness. As someone who has long suffered from mental illness, this book left me with the question, what if? If Bishop’s book broadens our perspective about mental illness, it will have accomplished something so few books have done,”


    — Chris Lamb, Indiana University-Indianapolis, author of Conspiracy of Silence: Sportswriters and the Long Campaign to Desegregate Baseball


Features
Features
  • 1/25/24, Choice: This title was included in “The Top 75 Community College Titles: January 2024” feature.

    Link:https://www.choice360.org/choice-pick/the-top-75-community-college-titles-january-2024/



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