Cyberbullying in Sport

in International Journal of Sport Communication

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Ellen MacPherson Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

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Gretchen Kerr Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2023-0142
Keywords:
social media; athletes; bullying in sport
First Published Online:
06 Jun 2023
In Print:
Volume 16: Issue 3
Page Range:
266–273
Restricted access

Despite over 30 years of scholarly attention devoted to bullying and cyberbullying behaviors in school settings, research related to these experiences in the sport context remains limited. Yet, numerous anecdotal examples and preliminary evidence suggests cyberbullying exists in the sport domain and must be addressed given the potential adverse psychosocial outcomes for athletes. This commentary reviews research related to bullying and cyberbullying in the sport literature. To advance our understanding of cyberbullying in sport, recommendations are made to clarify conceptual issues around the central defining features (i.e., power, repetition, intent) commonly used to operationalize these experiences. Further, methodological issues to be addressed are discussed, including, the use of more diverse methods; adoption of an intersectional lens to all research; and the development, implementation, and evaluation of interdisciplinary evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies. Only through a research base that addresses these conceptual and methodological challenges, will empirically-informed prevention and intervention strategies be developed to advance safe, healthy, and inclusive sport environments.

MacPherson (e.macpherson@utoronto.ca) is corresponding author.

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