The connection between fan discourse on social media and violent acts

Over the past decade, most of the key players in the sports industry have begun to make extensive use of social media to build a strong and accessible public image. Social networks have been introduced dynamically in sports and especially in football. The present study examined the relationship between Internet discourse among football fans and violence in stadiums. To answer the research questions, the content analysis method was used in the present study. The study sample includes 5 football clubs that participated in the Iranian Premier League in 1998. Correlation test was used to examine the relationship between violent actions of fans and players and types of speech. According to the correlation matrix between the types of speech and fan violence at the level of one percent, there is a positive and significant relationship. Regression was used to examine the predictability of violent actions by fans and players. The coefficient of determination R2 for the model of predicting fan violence was 0.284. This means that the types of speech express 28% of the changes in the dependent variable of fan violence.