Legends Worthy of Lament: An Analysis of Self-Presentation and User Framing on the Legends Football League's Facebook Page

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how the Legends Football League (LFL) was utilizing Facebook as a platform for self-presentation via text and photos and to determine how individuals were framing the LFL via comments made to posts on the LFL's Facebook page. A mixed-methods analysis revealed that the league was presenting itself as a legitimate sporting entity by discussing games, athletes, league partners, and league growth. Photos portrayed athletes as both athletically competent and sexualized. Finally, user comments focused on teams, games, and athletes, with peripheral dialogue sexualizing the athletes. The researchers concluded that while the league strives to revamp its image and maintain a level of legitimacy and spectacle, the sexualized portrayal of its athletes undermines this attempt.