TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Alcohol-related player behavioral transgressions: incidences, fan media responses, and a harm-reduction alternative
JO  - International review for the sociology of sport
A1  - Smith, Aaron CT
A1  - Stavros, Constantino
A1  - Westberg, Kate
A1  - Wilson, Brad
A1  - Boyle, Colleen
SP  - 400
EP  - 416
VL  - 49
IS  - 3-4
N2  - This article examines fan social media responses to media-reported, alcohol-related player behavioral transgressions that occurred in Australia's two largest professional sporting leagues, the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Australian Football League (AFL), over a 33-month period. Using netnography and content analysis, the study aimed to better understand the ways in which sport fans employed social media to voice their perceptions about alcohol-related player transgressions. The article reports on parochial fans' commentaries about alcohol-related transgressions and uses these data to inform options for harm-reduction strategies associated with alcohol-related transgressions in sport. Sport fans expressed dissatisfaction when they observed disparity in policy responses from clubs and leagues. At the same time, the data show that fan responses reflect a desire for parity and protection more than punishment, with the former more relevant to game, club, and league reputation than the latter. We suggest that a harm-reduction policy offers one mechanism for managing reputation through a focus on parity and protection. We argue that the introduction of a harm-reduction approach would offer a more effective policy for managing player alcohol-related transgressions than the current 'ad hoc' approach.<p/>  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1012-6902
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1012690213515663
ID  - ref1
ER  -