Antisemitism as a football specific problem? The situation of Jewish clubs in German amateur sport
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Abstract
Despite the undisputed existence of antisemitic incidents in sport, little is known about their exact
prevalence and forms of manifestation. Also in Germany, physical and verbal attacks against Jewish
sports clubs have repeatedly come to light. To estimate the prevalence of antisemitic incidents in
German grassroot sports, a standardised online survey was conducted among members of Jewish
sports clubs in Germany (N=309, data collection 3 November 2020 to 24 January 2021). Results
show an accumulation of cases in football: more than two-thirds (68%) of the football players have
experienced an antisemitic incident at least once, while the share in other sports is only 14%. The
results indicate that football offers a particularly large number of constellations that lead to the expression of antisemitic patterns. At its core, football is shaped by a clash of group identities. It is widely
accepted that opponents and their supporters are devalued through aggressive and emotionalized
behaviour. A tendency towards underreporting can furthermore be observed in dealing with the incidents, among other reasons due to a significant proportion of those surveyed do not trust the sanction
mechanisms of the sports associations – this in turn applies to footballers and non-footballers.
prevalence and forms of manifestation. Also in Germany, physical and verbal attacks against Jewish
sports clubs have repeatedly come to light. To estimate the prevalence of antisemitic incidents in
German grassroot sports, a standardised online survey was conducted among members of Jewish
sports clubs in Germany (N=309, data collection 3 November 2020 to 24 January 2021). Results
show an accumulation of cases in football: more than two-thirds (68%) of the football players have
experienced an antisemitic incident at least once, while the share in other sports is only 14%. The
results indicate that football offers a particularly large number of constellations that lead to the expression of antisemitic patterns. At its core, football is shaped by a clash of group identities. It is widely
accepted that opponents and their supporters are devalued through aggressive and emotionalized
behaviour. A tendency towards underreporting can furthermore be observed in dealing with the incidents, among other reasons due to a significant proportion of those surveyed do not trust the sanction
mechanisms of the sports associations – this in turn applies to footballers and non-footballers.
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Link to article including link to pdf, Antisemitism as a football specific problem? The situation of Jewish clubs in German amateur sport
Bibliographic Information
Antisemitism as a football specific problem? The situation of Jewish clubs in German amateur sport. 2022: https://archive.jpr.org.uk/10.1177/10126902221114057
