Conceptual metaphors and jocular mockery in select British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Yoruba reports on the English Premier League (EPL)

Abstract The investigation of sports discourse has enhanced the understanding of the socio-cultural, economic and political values of the game. The present study contributes to the burgeoning literature on sports discourse by examining the way rhetorical tropes are utilised for digital engagement among Nigeria’s English Premier League (EPL) fans. The data, consisting of fifty purposively sampled BBC Yoruba Service Station’s reports on EPL match outcomes, were sourced from Nigerian WhatsApp platforms. Data were analysed qualitatively using Kovesces’ conceptual metaphor theory, Israel et al.’s perspectives on simile and Haugh’s jocular mockery. The findings reveal that rhetorical tropes- metaphors and similes- are utilised to construct incongruous imagery in order to amplify the impact of clubs’ defeat in EPL matches. The findings also show the deployment of lexical exaggeration, explicit references, implicit contrasts, clichéd expression and formulaicity to jocularly mock defeated teams in the EPL. The study concludes that metaphors and similes are not only used to construct jocular mockery about defeated clubs in the EPL, but they also expose drawbacks in the (digital) fandom culture of Nigeria’s EPL lovers. The findings spotlight the nature and danger of linguistic vulgarism characterising the digital engagement of Nigeria’s (EPL) football fans.