The Experiences of Bisexual Soccer Fans in the UK: Inclusion, Engagement, and Digital Lives

Abstract

Although sport has traditionally been a toxic environment for sexual minorities, recent research has shown greater levels of inclusivity. Building on a growth of recent research on typically marginalized groups of sports fans -including women, racial minorities, and some sexual minorities -this research examines the experiences of English bisexual soccer fans. To do so, I draw on semi-structured interviews with 25 bisexual fans (14 cisgender men and 11 cisgender women) of a range of English soccer clubs. Findings indicate that English soccer stadia have become a more inclusive climate for bisexual fans. This was best evidenced by a growth of LGBT visibility through the formation of dedicated fan groups, as well as the general decline of anti-LGBT chanting. Despite the decline of abuse inside stadia, however, these fans spoke of how the proliferation of social media has provided an alternative platform for discrimination. Accordingly, these fans' experiences of consuming soccer through social media differ significantly from their experiences inside sports stadia.

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“…Findings of the present study reflect the infiltration of homophobic trends to social media (Magrath, 2022), which function as an alternative site of expression to the sport fields themselves, where such expressions are prohibited. Findings also reveal the bashing rituals that characterize talkbacks and comments to online items (Dori-Hacohen & Shavit, 2013).…”

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