Sports Communication Commons^™

Rhetorical Frames In Daily Fantasy Sports Promotion: Referral-Code Creators And Official Advertisers, Garrett P. Hughes

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

In the years since the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, sports gambling and related products have become increasingly visible in U.S. sports culture. Daily fantasy sports sit within this larger environment and are often promoted as skill-based, social, and routine parts of fandom. This study examined how daily fantasy sports are rhetorically framed on TikTok by comparing official daily fantasy sports advertisements with content posted by referral-code creators, a term used here to describe TikTok users who promote platforms through referral or partner codes while presenting picks, tips, or betting advice. The guiding research question asked …

Mark Henry's Retirement: Breaking Genres And John Cena, Kayla Stanley

ASPIRE 2026

This project explores Mark Henry’s 2013 “retirement” speech in WWE as an example of how genre expectations can be used, or broken, for rhetorical impact. Professional wrestling blends athletic competition with theatrical storytelling through kayfabe, where scripted storylines are presented as real. When Henry delivered his emotional retirement speech on live television, it closely followed the structure and tone of traditional sports retirement speeches. Because of this, it seemed like many audience members believed the moment was genuine.

The speech included familiar elements found in well-known athletic retirements such as gratitude, reflection on career highlights, acknowledgment of family, and a …