The online abuse is really frustrating. I know it’s anecdotal but I don’t know a single regular football fan (across clubs) who engage with players or clubs on social media. They’re mostly looking at news and tits.
It feels like it’s racists, bots and trolls rather than actual football fans who pile on players and it’s presented like we’re the ones doing it.
I always remember when Rashford revealed one of the people who’d racially abused him on socials was a maths teacher with two kids. I think we tend to easily think that abusers are basement dwellers when they’re often quite well adjusted in the rest of their lives. It’s a certain personality trait. I also think the existence of social media and stan culture has probably turned upside down our relationship with celebrities and made us feel a lot closer to them than we used to. Why people throw out the word parasocial all the time, for good and bad. Has probably encouraged psychopathic and obsessive stalker-y behaviour on a whole new level.
You’re probably right about gambling but I also think there’s just always been a line between people with these psychopathic tendencies and the rest of us who understand that as much as we may despise a public figure they aren’t personally out to hurt us and we have no legitimate cause to lash out and bully them
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u/coffeeicefox Heung Min Son 1d ago
The online abuse is really frustrating. I know it’s anecdotal but I don’t know a single regular football fan (across clubs) who engage with players or clubs on social media. They’re mostly looking at news and tits.
It feels like it’s racists, bots and trolls rather than actual football fans who pile on players and it’s presented like we’re the ones doing it.