Role Model or Quitter? Social Media’s Response to Simone Biles at Tokyo 2020
During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Team USA athlete Simone Biles withdrew from several gymnastics events midcompetition, citing mental health issues. Biles, one of the most recognizable stars of the Games, faced intense scrutiny from both the world’s media and the general public in the immediate aftermath. The purpose of this study was to analyze the Facebook narrative surrounding Biles’s withdrawal within the theoretical context of framing, as crafted through user comments on various public high-profile Facebook pages. A total of 87,714 user comments were collected and analyzed using the qualitative software Leximancer. The themes emerging from the data suggested a polarizing narrative, with many users supporting Biles, engaging in the wider discussion surrounding athlete mental health, while others condemned her action, suggesting she quit on the biggest sporting stage.
Top-30
Journals
|
1
|
|
|
Public Relations Review
1 publication, 25%
|
|
|
Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
1 publication, 25%
|
|
|
Sport in Society
1 publication, 25%
|
|
|
International Journal of Sport Communication
1 publication, 25%
|
|
|
1
|
Publishers
|
1
2
|
|
|
Elsevier
2 publications, 50%
|
|
|
Taylor & Francis
1 publication, 25%
|
|
|
Human Kinetics
1 publication, 25%
|
|
|
1
2
|
- We do not take into account publications without a DOI.
- Statistics recalculated weekly.