A Representation of Sport Corruption in Iran Media Space over the Past Ten Years (2007-2017)

Sport corruption is defined as any illegal and immoral move that practically attempts to distort the outcome of an athletic approach to advance its material goals. To encounter this phenomenon, the role of the media is vital where contaminated faces are revealed through the representation of corruptive activities. Representation is the production of meaning through conceptual and language frameworks. The continuous flow of media representation from the real world strongly influences the perceptions and actions of the audience, because it is assumed that these representations are the reality themselves. The aim of this study was to investigate the representation of sport corruption in Iran media space. In this study, documentary method was used with a content analysis approach. Reports and news of corruptive activities reflected in the official media were analyzed from 2007 to 2017. The findings revealed 12 types of corruption in 24 different sport fields. From the perspective of communication, a part of the fight against corruption can be assigned to the media; the media that either keeps track of the cases and examples, or gives those who complain about corruption a chance to talk. In fact, this media teaches audiences that corruption is unacceptable and must be fought; thus it mobilizes public opinion against corruption.