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- Title
Alcohol-related player behavioral transgressions: Incidences, fan media responses, and a harm-reduction alternative.
- Authors
Smith, Aaron CT; Stavros, Constantino; Westberg, Kate; Wilson, Brad; Boyle, Colleen
- Abstract
This article examines fan social media responses to media-reported, alcohol-related player behavioral transgressions that occurred in Australia’s two largest professional sporting leagues, the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Australian Football League (AFL), over a 33-month period. Using netnography and content analysis, the study aimed to better understand the ways in which sport fans employed social media to voice their perceptions about alcohol-related player transgressions. The article reports on parochial fans’ commentaries about alcohol-related transgressions and uses these data to inform options for harm-reduction strategies associated with alcohol-related transgressions in sport. Sport fans expressed dissatisfaction when they observed disparity in policy responses from clubs and leagues. At the same time, the data show that fan responses reflect a desire for parity and protection more than punishment, with the former more relevant to game, club, and league reputation than the latter. We suggest that a harm-reduction policy offers one mechanism for managing reputation through a focus on parity and protection. We argue that the introduction of a harm-reduction approach would offer a more effective policy for managing player alcohol-related transgressions than the current ‘ad hoc’ approach.
- Subjects
ATHLETES; ALCOHOLISM in sports; NATIONAL Rugby League (Australia); AUSTRALIAN Football League; SOCIAL media; FOOTBALL fans; CONTENT analysis; ATTITUDE (Psychology)
- Publication
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2014, Vol 49, Issue 3/4, p400
- ISSN
1012-6902
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/1012690213515663