World Cups apart: comparing <i>New York Times</i> coverage of the 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar World Cup tournaments

<p dir="ltr">The present study uses framing theory and content analysis to comparatively examine New York Times coverage of the 2018 Russia World Cup and the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Overall, findings from this analysis suggest that the New York Times was significantly more critical of the 2022 Qatar World Cup than the 2018 Russia World Cup. This was reflected in the directionality of articles dealing with political issues surrounding the two tournaments, as well as reports dealing with fan experiences. While the New York Times’ negative directionality of the Russian World Cup decreased over time, coverage of the Qatar World Cup showed the opposite pattern, as negative directionality increased drastically post-event. Qatar’s strong presence on a stage that has often been dominated by Western countries did not seem to prevent the New York Times from framing it as the “alienated Other.” The paper’s discussion section contextualizes the findings in light of anti-Muslim social and media prejudices. <h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Soccer & Society<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2024.2446862" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2024.2446862</a>