The ‘beautiful game’ in a world of hate
Daniel Kilvington, John Price · 2021
Daniel Kilvington and John Price examine the problems of football-related hate speech and abuse on social media in the context of sports journalism. They endeavour to explain and understand this online hate through a discussion of a number of recent examples of online abuse of English Premier League footballers and an analysis of how the British sports media has reported them. The chapter then critically assesses the response of football authorities and clubs to the problem, arguing both that the collective response to date has failed to properly address the issue and that the sports media has a role in scrutinising and challenging authorities on this topic. Finally, the chapter examines how sports journalists themselves have become the regular subject of online abuse, hate and threats and offers advice for young and aspiring reporters on how best to survive in this online world.