“It’s Funny to Hear a Female Talk About Routes”: Social Media Reaction to Cam Newton’s Comments About a Woman Reporter

Abstract

In October 2017, NFL quarterback Cam Newton made what many believed to be a sexist comment at woman reporter Jourdan Rodrigue. The next day, racist tweets from Rodrigue’s past were discovered. This research examines the evolution of the social media discourse on Twitter regarding Newton’s comments and then Rodrigue’s past. The order of the events created a conflict between race and gender on Twitter from social media users. Using network framing, results demonstrate that the tone varied based on the gender of the user and the time frame in which it was sent.