Medialization of problematic periods in the life of well-known athletes and their reflection

This diploma thesis called "Medialization of problematic periods in the life of well-known athletes and their reflection on these periods" examines media coverage of selected athletes in the Czech environment with the method of qualitative analysis used on stories from two printed nationwide newspapers and their online versions. The research is supported by e-interviews with the athletes that provide their view on their portrayal. The aim of this thesis is to provide a deeper insight into the issue and to find out how problematic periods of athletes' careers are presented and how these athletes reflect on it. Research showed that throughout their problematic times, the media had been portraying selected athletes in both positive and negative ways, although their image was constantly filled with superlatives reflecting their achievements. Portrayals of problematic periods were congruent across selected media, which athletes themselves confirmed. At the end of the defined periods, or in later time, all selected athletes regained their media status of a hero or even a national hero. Interestingly, athletes did not care much about their public image, moreover, they often tried to completely free themselves from any influence of the media avoiding any possible negative repercussions. In addition, the..