Drama and Tears at the Olympics: An Examination of the Role of Ideology in the Media Coverage of the Figure Skating Final at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games

Authors

  • Elza Ibroscheva Southern Illinois University
  • Maria Raicheva-Stover Washburn University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS422010344

Keywords:

Olympics Games, media coverage, Cold War stereotypes, ideology

Abstract

This paper examined the metaphors and language that U.S. media used in their coverage of the 2002 Olympic scandal for the gold medal during the pairs figure skating final. Through a discussion of the historical aspects of the Olympic rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and a qualitative examination of the media coverage of the skating scandal, this paper argued that the ideological confrontation between the East and the West found a clear manifestation in the language in which the scandal was reported in the American media outlets as well as helped to further commercialize and sensationalize the sport of figure skating.

Author Biographies

Elza Ibroscheva, Southern Illinois University

Ah.D. in Mass Communications and Media Arts Assistant Professor Department of Mass Communications Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, IL 62026 USA

Maria Raicheva-Stover, Washburn University

Assistant Professor

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Published

2010-06-30

How to Cite

Ibroscheva, E., & Raicheva-Stover, M. (2010). Drama and Tears at the Olympics: An Examination of the Role of Ideology in the Media Coverage of the Figure Skating Final at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Observatorio (OBS*), 4(2). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS422010344

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Section

Articles