The correlation between gender and the level of Twitter reaction in high-performance sport

Abstract

The social media platform Twitter is used by fans, sporting organisations and sports media to provide updates on the results of sporting events in real time. This study explores if there are gender differences in reactions to the performance of high-performance athletes on the social media platform Twitter. Qualitative research in the form of a content and thematic analysis of Twitter posts and comments were carried out on 5 male and 5 female Irish high-performance athletes. The thematic analysis was carried out manually using Braun & Clarke’s (2006) guidelines. The content analysis was also implemented manually by using Elo & Kyngäs (2007) guidelines. All of the high performance athletes had competed at an international or national sporting event during 2020. The major themes that found during this research included: Language Celebration Heritage Emotions Performance Results showed how sports fans use social media to express their thoughts and emotions on sporting events. This study highlights how sporting events reach beyond the host stadium.

Social media platforms have enabled people from anywhere in the world to communicate about interests, such as sports. This research provides insightful information on how sports fans engage in sporting events on the social media platform Twitter.