Abstract
Utilizing a 2 (race) × 2 (sex) × 3 (response strategy) factorial experiment, this study interrogates the extent to which an athlete’s race and gender impacts the image repair process, specifically within the hypermediated realm of athlete transgressions. Using a national sample of 287 participants, results supported for the effectiveness of the mortification strategy above reducing offensiveness and evading responsibility strategies. Moreover, regardless of the transgression response, Black athletes were consistently rated more positively than their White athletic counterparts, deviating from the majority of prior research. Discussion of the role of the Black athlete is offered in light of the unexpected findings, with explanations postulated based on expectancy violation theory and the principle of covariance.
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