Are Online Sports Fan Communities Becoming More Offensive? A Quantitative Review of Topics, Trends, and Toxicity of r/PremierLeague

TL;DR

This study analyzes over a decade of Reddit comments in r/PremierLeague to understand evolving topics, sentiment, and toxicity, revealing increased negativity and societal issue discussions amid community growth.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive quantitative analysis of online sports fan discussions, highlighting trends in toxicity and societal issue discourse over time.

Findings

Rise in negative sentiment and toxicity over time

Increase in discussions about societal issues like racism and COVID-19

Diverse topics reflecting community expansion

Abstract

Online communities for sports fans have surged in popularity, with Reddit's r/PremierLeague emerging as a focal point for fans of one of the globe's most celebrated sports leagues. This boom has helped the Premier League make significant inroads into the US market, increasing viewership and sparking greater interest in its matches. Despite the league's broad appeal, there's still a notable gap in understanding its online fan community. Therefore, we analyzed a substantial dataset of over 1.1 million comments posted from 2013-2022 on r/PremierLeague. Our study delves into the sentiment, topics, and toxicity of these discussions, tracking trends over time, aiming to map out the conversation landscape. The rapid expansion has brought more diverse discussions, but also a worrying rise in negative sentiment and toxicity. Additionally, the subreddit has become a venue for users to voice frustrations about broader societal issues like racism, the COVID-19 pandemic, and political tensions.