When athlete transgressions occur both on and off the field, there can be negative impacts on stakeholders. Therefore, it is essential to explore how consumers react to transgressions to gain a better understanding of how they can be successfully managed. The purpose of this study was to explore consumers’ Twitter reactions to an athlete’s transgression using a homophobic slur, drawing on critical discourse studies as a conceptual framework. Using Visual Twitter Analytics (Vista), tweets were collected over the 2017 Toronto Blue Jays’ season. For this study, the subset of tweets related to the incident were isolated. We found a duality in discourses, in that consumers shared perspectives for and against the use of homophobic language in sport. Practically, many consumers supported the idea of athletes being assigned a punishment for this type of language use. While consequences may satisfy some consumers, a cultural change within the organization and fan base is required to create an inclusive sport environment regarding language use.

当运动员在场内外都发生违规行为时，可能会对利益相关者产生负面影响。因此，必须探索消费者如何应对违规行为，以更好地了解如何成功管理消费者。这项研究的目的是利用批评性的话语研究作为概念框架，利用同性恋口吻来探讨消费者对运动员违规的Twitter反应。使用Visual Twitter Analytics（Vista），在2017年多伦多蓝鸟队的赛季收集了推文。对于本研究，与事件相关的推文子集是隔离的。我们发现话语具有二元性，因为消费者在体育运动中使用同性恋语言持反对意见。几乎，许多消费者支持运动员应为此类型的语言使用而受到惩罚的想法。虽然后果可能使某些消费者满意，但需要在组织和支持者群体中进行文化变革，以创建有关语言使用的包容性运动环境。