The Not-So-Neutral Zone?: ESPN, Agenda Setting, and the National Hockey League

This article is a content analysis focusing on the “Top 10 Plays” segment on espn’s SportsCenter. The theoretical basis of agenda building is utilized to examine whether espn may highlight the sports for which the network holds the rights as compared to those sports for which the network does not hold rights. Ultimately, the manuscript shows that between the two comparable leagues of the National Basketball Association (nba) and the National Hockey League (nhl), espn included significantly more highlights from the league for which the network held rights, nba, than from the league for which it did not, nhl. The results and implications are discussed.