Author

Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

Sports Media

First Advisor

Alexander Carter

Second Advisor

Lee Farquhar

Abstract

This study examines how newspaper coverage of sports betting (2023–2024) shapes public discourse around gambling. Through mixed-methods content analysis of 105 randomly sampled articles, guided by agenda-setting, framing, and cultivation theories, findings reveal that coverage prioritizes regulation and scandals over vulnerable populations, frames betting positively at the macro level but negatively at the individual level, and largely omits the academic evidence base on gambling harms.

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