Paper Number
ICIS2025-1692
Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
Spectator perceptions of digital technologies in sports are often shaped by how they are portrayed in the media, particularly through live broadcast commentary. Our study investigates how live commentary frames technology-aided decision-making, using the case of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in soccer. Adopting an interpretive qualitative approach, we analyzed 35 transcribed commentaries on VAR-aided decision events from live broadcasts. Drawing on Entman’s (1993) framing theory, we identified three initiating frames, investigative, corrective, and disruptive, which shaped how commentators narrated the decision event. These frames influenced Entman’s four framing functions (problem definition, causal attribution, moral evaluation, treatment recommendation), and shifted as events unfolded. Our findings revealed live commentary as dynamic narrative construction, where expert commentators frame both technological capability and legitimacy. Our study contributes to framing theory, human-technology interaction, and decision-making in dynamic environments such as live sports. Implications for trust in technology and public perception of decision aids are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Haffner, Lily Charlotte; Kotlarsky, Julia; and Oshri, Ilan, "How Technology-Aided Decision-Making is Framed in Live Media Sports Broadcasting: A Temporal Analysis of VAR Interventions in Officiating" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 10.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/general_topic/general_topic/10
How Technology-Aided Decision-Making is Framed in Live Media Sports Broadcasting: A Temporal Analysis of VAR Interventions in Officiating
Spectator perceptions of digital technologies in sports are often shaped by how they are portrayed in the media, particularly through live broadcast commentary. Our study investigates how live commentary frames technology-aided decision-making, using the case of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in soccer. Adopting an interpretive qualitative approach, we analyzed 35 transcribed commentaries on VAR-aided decision events from live broadcasts. Drawing on Entman’s (1993) framing theory, we identified three initiating frames, investigative, corrective, and disruptive, which shaped how commentators narrated the decision event. These frames influenced Entman’s four framing functions (problem definition, causal attribution, moral evaluation, treatment recommendation), and shifted as events unfolded. Our findings revealed live commentary as dynamic narrative construction, where expert commentators frame both technological capability and legitimacy. Our study contributes to framing theory, human-technology interaction, and decision-making in dynamic environments such as live sports. Implications for trust in technology and public perception of decision aids are discussed.
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