Media Portrayals of African-American Athletes:

Also, in the mind of the Message staff, sports coverage at the professional and university level reflected racialized and stereotypical views about the differences between white and black athletes. In December 2000, the Message included a report entitled “The Great White Hype,” that addressed “unfair coverage by television and print media” between their coverage of black athletes versus white athletes. For example, after observing numerous college and professional football games, the Message staff concluded that “the commentary about white players was on average extremely more positive and included information unrelated to the actual game.” Whereas television broadcasts emphasized white players’ “family, work ethic, interviews, etc.,” in print media, the report claimed that “black athletes received the most off the field coverage… for actions that were violent and criminal.” In both media sources, stories about black athletes emphasized their abilities “as being natural athletes” while “whites were shown studying playbooks or practicing with teammates.”

In response, the Message’s reportcame under fire from the Technician and white students who wrote angry editorials into the Technician about the results. As Message editor Adedayo A. Banwo responded to the “flack” about the report on television coverage for white and black athletes. In a follow up editorial entitled “Do Not Remain Silent” in mid-January 2001, Banwo asserted that African-Americans should not “remain silent” nor should they “allow the discomfort of others [to] stop you from voicing your precious opinion.” Moreover, Banwo claimed that the primary reason the report caused such a stir on campus resulted from the fact that the then white quarterback of the NC State football team, and future NFL star, Phillip Rivers just completed a stellar freshman season. This dissent from the campus status quo demonstrated the core of the Message’s mission to provide a medium which would testify to African-Americans’ continuing struggle against the underlying racial prejudices that plagued American society.