Graduation Term
2021
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
School of Communication
Committee Chair
Rebecca Hayes
Committee Member
John Hooker
Abstract
This study seeks to understand the corporate social responsibility (CSR) topics shared by professional team sport organizations on their websites and on Twitter as well as fan responses to those CSR messages. A quantitative content analysis of individual tweets from 16 teams across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL posted from October 1-30, 2020 was conducted. Results indicate that CSR topic frequencies were significantly different both on webpages and on Twitter. Replies to CSR messages on Twitter were significantly different based on topic, and replies were largely neutral. There was no significant difference in reply valence to CSR tweets that were community-specific compared to tweets that were not community-specific. Practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.
Access Type
Thesis-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Murphy, Kelly E., "Professional Sport and Community Outreach: a Content Analysis of Csr Messages Shared by Professional Team Sport Organizations on Twitter" (2021). Theses and Dissertations. 1397.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/1397
DOI
https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2021.20210719070603181093.47