Discrimination on football Twitter: the role of humour in the Othering of minorities

Abstract

This article explores the footballing Twitter community and the abundance of tweets that use discriminatory humour to ‘Other’ minorities. With a 32% increase in instances of discrimination during the 2018/19 Premier League season, this qualitative study collected tweets containing some form of discriminatory language or slurs to be analysed. Two main concepts were identified, Othering and humour, where the Othering of minorities was often concealed by humour. It appears that discriminatory comments, no matter their inconspicuousness, have found a new home online as discrimination at games is now met with condemnation and punishment. Ultimately, this article highlights the justification of discriminatory language on football Twitter, whether stated outright or otherwise, when it is encompassed with humorous undertones. The conclusions reflect on how this understanding can be helpful for authorities and social media companies to use in identifying this form of abuse.