For some sports stars, a certain level of adulation is just part of the job. But many are also now subjected to abuse and malicious campaigns on social media. It recently emerged that Liverpool FC have hired a therapist to help players deal with the effects of online trolling.
Our research examined the triggers for this kind of abuse, and how to deal with it. We looked at messages received on Twitter by the likes of Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as other big names from a variety of sports.
Using a technique called “sentiment analysis” to rank posts from negative to positive, we found almost all the athletes were subjected to some level of abuse, involving criticism of their professional performances as well as personal insults.
