2134/34001 Aaron Smith Aaron Smith Constantino Stavros Constantino Stavros Kate Westberg Kate Westberg Brad Wilson Brad Wilson Colleen Boyle Colleen Boyle Alcohol-related player behavioral transgressions: Incidences, fan media responses, and a harm-reduction alternative Loughborough University 2018 untagged 2018-07-19 10:48:47 Journal contribution https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Alcohol-related_player_behavioral_transgressions_Incidences_fan_media_responses_and_a_harm-reduction_alternative/9465710 This article examines fan social media responses to media-reported, alcohol-related player behavioral transgressions that occurred in Australia's two largest professional sporting leagues, the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Australian Football League (AFL), over a 33-month period. Using netnography and content analysis, the study aimed to better understand the ways in which sport fans employed social media to voice their perceptions about alcohol-related player transgressions. The article reports on parochial fans' commentaries about alcohol-related transgressions and uses these data to inform options for harm-reduction strategies associated with alcohol-related transgressions in sport. Sport fans expressed dissatisfaction when they observed disparity in policy responses from clubs and leagues. At the same time, the data show that fan responses reflect a desire for parity and protection more than punishment, with the former more relevant to game, club, and league reputation than the latter. We suggest that a harm-reduction policy offers one mechanism for managing reputation through a focus on parity and protection. We argue that the introduction of a harm-reduction approach would offer a more effective policy for managing player alcohol-related transgressions than the current 'ad hoc' approach. © The Author(s) 2013.