The Value-Oriented Discourse of Football Commentators and its Impact on Sports Audiences in the United Arab Emirates

HRMARS - This study examines the value-oriented discourse of football commentators and analyzes its impact on sports audiences in the United Arab Emirates. It proceeds from the central role of sports media, particularly football commentary, in shaping collective sporting consciousness and guiding audience behaviors and emotions. Sports commentary is no longer confined to narrating match events and providing technical analysis. Rather, it has become a media discourse with cultural and ethical dimensions that conveys a system of values and meanings, directly and indirectly influencing how audiences perceive sporting competition, the meanings of victory and defeat, and the nature of relationships among teams and supporters. The study is grounded in the premise that the value-laden discourse of football commentators can function as a positive force that promotes sportsmanship, respect, discipline, and the rejection of fanaticism and violence. Conversely, in the absence of professional regulation, it may become a negative factor that inflames emotions, entrenches sports fanaticism, and normalizes verbal abuse and aggressive behavior. The significance of this issue is heightened in the Emirati context, given the cultural diversity and coexistence that characterize society, as well as the national orientation toward consolidating values of tolerance and social responsibility across domains, including sport.