Athletes Preference of "Bad Boy" Persona on TV

Episode one of season one of Reba begins at a court mandated therapist session dealing with life changes that have recently happened in Reba’s family. During the therapy session it is revealed that, Cheyenne (Reba’s daughter) who is a senior in high school is pregnant with her boyfriend’s child. The conversation about Van (Cheyenne’s boyfriend) emphasizes his position on the football team and his skill introducing him to the viewers as a high school athlete/star player.

Now, Reba is a television show that appeals to a middle aged crowd perhaps around their twenties and it is important to keep that in mind for context sake. In the episode the portion that I am honing in on in this blog is subtle and background noise in comparison to the major appeals/themes of the show, but it is my goal to observe the athlete and his reputation.

 In taking a closer look at Van, the athlete in the show, I notice the argument that he is an athlete so he is expected to not be a rule follower. In later conversation about Cheyenne and Van becoming pregnant the point is brought up that it was both of their first time to have sex that resulted in the pregnancy. Van shook his head and made a face in denial of the fact that it was also his first time, obviously embarrassed by the statement but revealed to be a true statement. Why? Is it because him getting his girlfriend pregnant furthered his “bad boy” persona BUT it being his first time to have sex wasn’t furthering that persona? Otherwise the fact that it was his first time to have sex would be a fact that in this situation would be in his favor to enhance his reputation to Cheyenne’s parents. It seems that the bad boy reputation is something in the show that the athlete desires to be known as.

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBtiL0-OSt4

 

Introduction

I love sports… I consequently have found a love for the athletes that play sports! Athletes have become much more than minions we watch play the games we love. Athletes today are celebrities brought into the media because of their impressive skill at their given sport. However often times the focus on them in the media isn’t just about game performance but about their life off the court/field. I have noticed a theme that the tendency of the media portrayal seems to cast a “bad boy” persona on athletes. Throughout this blog I am interested in the way that media portrays athletes as “Bad Boys”. Some examples of “Bad Boy” reputations that I think of right away are stories about how Ray Lewis “killed someone and got away with it”, Kobe Bryant with his rape charges and “Me First” attitude, the list goes on and on.

My blog is inspired in part by a comment that somebody made to me about the situation with new Texas A&M quarterback to the 2012 season getting in trouble with the law. He was out on Northgate and got in trouble for drinking, fake ID, and fighting. The comment that was made to me was that, “It’s a good sign that A&M players are getting in trouble, statistically the bad boys are better athletes.” Could this be why professional athletes in the media are given the bad boy persona in order to make them seem like better athletes? I was fascinated by the comment and by the bad boy persona I began to take note of after that comment, even in television shows athletes are given that same stereotype. I am interested to explore athlete’s bad boy persona that I have noticed in the media.