All Players are Equal, but if We Win, Some are More Equal than Others: Sentiment Inequality in Pre- and Post-match Online Supporter Discourse

This study examines racial disparities in emotional expression within online football fandom by analyzing sentiment in YouTube comments referring to white players and players of color across different match contexts (previews, wins, losses, and draws). Using a two-way ANOVA with 239 observations derived from 5,819 comments, we identify significant racialized patterns in sentiment expression. White players received significantly higher sentiment scores than players of color overall, with disparities most pronounced following wins and in previews: contexts where praise and positive evaluation are typically expressed. Notably, following losses, sentiment was equally negative across racial groups, indicating that racial bias operates primarily through the withholding of praise rather than the attribution of blame. These findings align with social identity theory’s distinction between in-group favoritism and out-group derogation, suggesting that bias in football commentary manifests predominantly through preferential allocation of positive sentiment to white players rather than through explicit negativity toward players of color. The results reveal that affective inequalities persist in online football discourse despite formal diversity initiatives, and that racial bias operates not only through overt hostility but through subtle, patterned inequalities in the distribution of emotional rewards.