‘Midfield masterminds’ and ‘running freight trains’: A comparative analysis of racial discourses in Premier League and Euro 2020 commentary

Abstract

This study explores racialised commentator discourses from concurrent Premier League and Euro 2020 competitions. The study comprises of a mixed method quantitative and qualitative analysis of covert racially biased language and football mediation mechanisms to address two research questions: 1) What are the similarities and differences between domestic and international commentary? 2) What effect, if any, does overt anti-racist commentary on the Taking of the Knee have on the covert biased discourses seen in wider commentary? Building on existing work, comparison of two concurrent competitions aims to identify the similarities and differences that emerge from each. The study utilises a sample of 60 hours of BBC and ITV Euro 2020 and Sky Sports and BT Sports 2021/22 Premier League coverage. The results indicate significant differences in the positive skew of physical description based on the race of the player being described in Premier League commentary, with an even greater positive skew being apparent in Euro 2020 discourses. Comparison of the commentator discourses delivered on the act of taking the Knee saw instances of overt racism take precedent over instances of covert racial bias in the discourses of commentators during both competitions.