Some Lines Bring Us Together: Sport as Crisis Renewal in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Abstract

Bosnia-Herzegovina continues to be a contentious country with an ethnically based power-sharing political structure. The advancement of the Bosnian Men's National Soccer Team to the 2014 World Cup Qualifier reshaped the rhetoric of an ethnically divided Bosnia, for at least a short time, to a message advocating hope, healing, and unity. In this analysis, we examine the national and international media coverage of the team to identify messages that are indicative of crisis renewal discourse-aligned with the optimistic and prospective focus on rebuilding through a shared vision. We suggest that renewal discourse, when filtered through the unifying discourse of sport, offers an appropriate and effective rhetorical strategy for advancing a cohesive national identity.

Extending Discourse of Renewal to Preparedness: Construct and Scale Development of Readiness for Renewal

“…Discourse of Renewal deemphasizes the role of image in a crisis and instead centers on how organizations or communities can learn from crises, communicate consistently using their values, constitute prospective visions of transformation and recovery, and emphasize optimism and commitment to recovery following negative events (Ulmer et al, 2019). Over the past 20 years, scholars have extensively examined renewal in a wide variety of organizational and community crises (Carlson, 2018; Herovic & Veil, 2015; Littlefield, Reierson, Cowden, Stowman, & Feather, 2009; Paquette, 2015; Reierson & Littlefield, 2012; Sellnow, Iverson, & Sellnow, 2017). Organizational learning, ethical communication, prospective vision, and effective organizational rhetoric are ways that organizations can effectively manage a crisis.…”

“…To provide further evidence of generalizability of a new construct, researchers replicate data collection with a different population (DeVellis, 2016), including different cultures and languages (Myers & Oetzel, 2003). With some exceptions (Cotton, Veil, & Iannarino, 2015; Herovic & Veil, 2015; Sellnow et al, 2017), published research on Discourse of Renewal theory has focused primarily on American organizations and English-language studies. Although Parnell (2015) examined crisis occurrence and types of crisis concern among Mexican and Peruvian managers, we know little about whether organizations in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries incorporate precrisis renewal into their crisis management.…”

“…We generated items, sought expert feedback, and then pilot tested items with a single organization. To develop items, we examined literature on Discourse of Renewal (Herovic & Veil, 2015;Littlefield et al, 2009;Paquette, 2015;Reierson & Littlefield, 2012;Seeger & Ulmer, 2001;Ulmer, 2001;Ulmer et al, 2009;Ulmer et al, 2019;Veil et al, 2011). About 80 items were developed, which included an equal number of positively and negatively worded statements.…”

Keystone theories of postcrisis discourse: Communication Theory of Resilience and Discourse of Renewal

“…Like the Communication Theory of Resilience, Discourse of Renewal Theory is a later entrant into the risk and crisis communication field. In recent years, DRT has been used as an explanatory tool in a wide range of postcrisis analyses (see Carlson, 2018; Dillingham, 2023; Du Plessis, 2018; Herovic & Veil, 2016; Littlefield et al, 2009; Manzie, 2018; Reierson & Littlefield, 2012; Sellnow et al, 2017; Slagle et al, 2022). Its popularity is a function of an expansive, positive, and forward‐looking orientation compared with other frameworks.…”