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The Internet as a site of decreasing cultural homophobia in Association Football: An online response by fans to the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger

This article analyses 5,128 comments from 35 prominent football fan online message boards located across the United Kingdom and 978 online comments in response to a Guardian newspaper article regarding the decision by former German international footballer, Thomas Hitzlsperger, to publicly come out...

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Main Authors: Jamie Cleland, R. Magrath, T. Kian
Format: Default Article
Published: 2017
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2134/21495
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author Jamie Cleland
R. Magrath
T. Kian
author_facet Jamie Cleland
R. Magrath
T. Kian
author_sort Jamie Cleland (1256724)
collection Figshare
description This article analyses 5,128 comments from 35 prominent football fan online message boards located across the United Kingdom and 978 online comments in response to a Guardian newspaper article regarding the decision by former German international footballer, Thomas Hitzlsperger, to publicly come out as gay in January 2014. Adopting the theoretical framework of inclusive masculinity theory, the findings demonstrate almost universal inclusivity through the rejection of homophobia and frequent contestation of comments that express orthodox views. From a period of high homophobia during the 1980s and 1990s, just 2 per cent of the 6,106 comments contained pernicious homophobic intent. Rather than allow for covert homophobic hate speech towards those with a different sexual orientation, 98 per cent of the comments illustrate a significant decrease in cultural homophobia than was present when Justin Fashanu came out in 1990.
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institution Loughborough University
publishDate 2017
record_format Figshare
spelling rr-article-94756102017-01-01T00:00:00Z The Internet as a site of decreasing cultural homophobia in Association Football: An online response by fans to the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger Jamie Cleland (1256724) R. Magrath (7189037) T. Kian (7189040) Sociology not elsewhere classified Other human society not elsewhere classified Other language, communication and culture not elsewhere classified Fans Football Homophobia Internet Masculinity sexuality Language, Communication and Culture not elsewhere classified Studies in Human Society not elsewhere classified Sociology This article analyses 5,128 comments from 35 prominent football fan online message boards located across the United Kingdom and 978 online comments in response to a Guardian newspaper article regarding the decision by former German international footballer, Thomas Hitzlsperger, to publicly come out as gay in January 2014. Adopting the theoretical framework of inclusive masculinity theory, the findings demonstrate almost universal inclusivity through the rejection of homophobia and frequent contestation of comments that express orthodox views. From a period of high homophobia during the 1980s and 1990s, just 2 per cent of the 6,106 comments contained pernicious homophobic intent. Rather than allow for covert homophobic hate speech towards those with a different sexual orientation, 98 per cent of the comments illustrate a significant decrease in cultural homophobia than was present when Justin Fashanu came out in 1990. 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 2134/21495 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_Internet_as_a_site_of_decreasing_cultural_homophobia_in_Association_Football_An_online_response_by_fans_to_the_coming_out_of_Thomas_Hitzlsperger/9475610 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
spellingShingle Sociology not elsewhere classified
Other human society not elsewhere classified
Other language, communication and culture not elsewhere classified
Fans
Football
Homophobia
Internet
Masculinity
sexuality
Language, Communication and Culture not elsewhere classified
Studies in Human Society not elsewhere classified
Sociology
Jamie Cleland
R. Magrath
T. Kian
The Internet as a site of decreasing cultural homophobia in Association Football: An online response by fans to the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger
title The Internet as a site of decreasing cultural homophobia in Association Football: An online response by fans to the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger
title_full The Internet as a site of decreasing cultural homophobia in Association Football: An online response by fans to the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger
title_fullStr The Internet as a site of decreasing cultural homophobia in Association Football: An online response by fans to the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger
title_full_unstemmed The Internet as a site of decreasing cultural homophobia in Association Football: An online response by fans to the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger
title_short The Internet as a site of decreasing cultural homophobia in Association Football: An online response by fans to the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger
title_sort internet as a site of decreasing cultural homophobia in association football: an online response by fans to the coming out of thomas hitzlsperger
topic Sociology not elsewhere classified
Other human society not elsewhere classified
Other language, communication and culture not elsewhere classified
Fans
Football
Homophobia
Internet
Masculinity
sexuality
Language, Communication and Culture not elsewhere classified
Studies in Human Society not elsewhere classified
Sociology
url https://hdl.handle.net/2134/21495