Discursive delegitimisation of athlete activism: a study of the Australian football team

Athlete activism is increasingly visible and polarising. However, little is known in sport management research about the strategies, which opponents use to neutralise athlete activists. Discursive delegitimisation refers to the public discourse, which seeks to undermine activist legitimacy and challenge the meaning of activist actions. Prior to 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 16 members of the Australian football team released a video via social media criticising Qatar’s human rights record with migrant workers and the LGBTQIA+ community. A content analysis was conducted of 5,844 social media comments on this video to examine the delegitimisation strategies employed by critics of this athlete activism. Findings illustrate nine forms of online discursive delegitimisation strategies. Those consistent with previous research were: 1) Stigmatising the athletes; 2) Authorisation; 3) Emphasising negative consequences; 4) Attributing new meaning to the activism; 5) Moral Evaluation; 6) Rationalisation; and 7) Mythopoesis. Two new strategies were identified: 8) Implying the athletes are disingenuous; and 9) arguing the activism is a distraction. This research demonstrates that online communities use social media to not only discuss and react to athlete activism, but to actively counteract and neutralise it. This study contributes to athlete activism research by conceptualising an integrative framework of discursive delegitimisation strategies in elite sport. As public perceptions closely align with sports marketing and branding efforts, this research has managerial implications to help athletes to avoid and overcome negative public perceptions and encourage their activism. Athletes and managers may be able to adjust their activist efforts to reduce delegitimisation.