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Social Media and Online Hate in Sport: A Case Study of Association Football

Fletcher, Thomas orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-4618-5480, Kearns, Colm orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-6819-8488, Kilvington, Daniel orcid logoORCID: 0000-0003-3361-0860, Sinclair, Gary orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-2181-7736, Lynn, Theo orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-9284-7580, Black, Jack orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-1595-5083, Doidge, Mark orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-6858-3914, Santos, Guto Leoni orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-0257-4214 and Liston, Katie orcid logoORCID: 0000-0003-3898-0166 (2025) Social Media and Online Hate in Sport: A Case Study of Association Football. In: Routledge Handbook of Sport and Social Media. Routledge, London. ISBN 9781032666211

Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to explore the relationship between sport and online hate, via a case study of the work of Tackling Online Hate in Football (TOHIF). In elucidating the challenge of online hate in sport, the chapter showcases how TOHIF is responding to online hate through a range of timely and innovative methodologies and interventions, including accessing large-scale longitudinal empirical datasets, developing tools and techniques to identify and classify online abuse, undertaking over 120 interviews and focus groups with professional male and female footballers from across the UK, a major survey of football fans, interviews with player care professionals, and interviews and educational workshops with sport journalists. The chapter advocates that scholarly research must play a leading role in combatting online hate; initially by deepening the understanding of it, and additionally through shaping the public discourse and education on how to respond to it. We finish this chapter by advocating for some blue sky thinking and identifying some core areas for future investment.
Metadata
Item Type:Book Section
Refereed:Yes
Subjects:Medical Sciences > Sports sciences
Social Sciences > Cyberbullying
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > DCU Business School
Publisher:Routledge
Official URL:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02614...
ID Code:32814
Deposited On:30 Jun 2026 14:57 by Tam Nguyen . Last Modified 30 Jun 2026 14:57
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