Featured Research: The Gladiator Syndrome of Communication

We’re proud to announce that Dr. Myrna Roberts’ groundbreaking paper—"A GROUNDED THEORY: The Gladiator Syndrome of Communication – Deconstructing Colin Kaepernick’s 'Black & White' Using Locus of Control"—has been listed on SSRN’s Top Downloads List across multiple academic fields.

This paper introduces the original Gladiator Syndrome Theory, exploring how athletes—especially Black athletes—navigate internal and external influences on their identity, agency, and communication. Using Kaepernick’s Netflix docuseries as a case study, Dr. Roberts analyzes how power, silence, performance, and resistance intersect.