Social media has provided sporting organisations, athletes, media outlets and fans with the opportunity to discuss and debate sport's most significant issues, which undoubtedly serves to ensure fans are also able to voice their opinions and concerns. As such, fans are also able to play a meaningful role in the decisions made by sporting organisations about various issues and controversies. However, as highlighted in the previous chapter, the atmosphere of social media discussions about sport and sport-related issues can be extreme and punctuated with heightened emotion and language – both from a positive and negative perspective (Crocket 2017).

Furthermore, any study of social media dialogue in relation to sport can leave many observers concluding the online world appears unfiltered, so much so that comments can often seem ill-considered, uninformed and poorly researched – as though some fans and detractors have posted their first thoughts without any consideration of the complexities and nuances of any given issue. Perhaps even more troubling is the distinct lack of empathy and common sense that often characterises many online discussions. Indeed, the reaction to sporting issues, controversies and misdemeanours can be furious, irrational and even illogical (Markman as cited in Wolchover 2012).

As Australian and National Basketball Association (NBA) basketballer Andrew Bogut – a prolific and, at times, antagonistic social media user – tweeted, ‘Remember social media users, it's ok to laugh and smile. Enjoy your day.’

There are several consequences of this heightened and often negative social media free for all – all of which have a significant impact on many of the major stakeholders of the sports and sports media industries.

Who Owns the Narrative?

It seems social media has changed the power dynamic when it comes to who controls the prevailing narratives around sport and sporting issues. Before the introduction of digital and social media, the narrative of any sports story was generally controlled and contested by the media and sporting organisations (Feezell 2017). For positive news, the process was quite straightforward with sporting organisations keen to engage media to share their good news and communicate the story to their fans and the broader sports community (Stoldt et al. 2012).