Representatives, Reflection, Roles, and Responsibilities: The Metajournalistic Discourse on the Press Boycott of Naomi Osaka

Metajournalism is the term used in communication science to describe the public discussion of journalism. Studies on how reflexive reporting occurs in sports journalism are rare, which is surprising considering the close sports media intertwining. When tennis player Naomi Osaka declared her intention to skip press conferences during the 2021 French Open to raise awareness of the psychological pressures placed on elite athletes, this triggered a sports-related metajournalistic discourse. This study provides a systematic description of this discourse using a qualitative content analysis of 102 online articles in quality, tabloid and sports media. Only minimal self-criticism was found, and journalists primarily attributed the responsibility for the topic of mental health to the system of competitive sports. Unsurprisingly, there are significant differences in the quality and quantity of reporting in the various genres. In every form of media, Osaka’s own representation occupies a significant amount of space. All media genres have a tendency to portray the arguments of non-media representatives, especially those from the tennis world, rather than articulate their own perspectives. This study contributes to the understanding of public negotiation processes regarding roles and responsibilities in sports journalism.