Bullying in Football Experiences of Turkish Professional Footballers

Abstract

Bullying acts are used in a variety of settings, from school to work life, affecting many professions. But how and where does bullying occur in football? Arguably football is the most globalized industry on the planet, with its huge economy and the massive events produced through it. In Turkey, since the 1980’s, football has undergone a rapid commercialization process and become a mass phenomenon as well as being a professional occupation. This article reports on a study dealing with the conjunction of two of the most important social and cultural phenomenon of our times, football and bullying. Four illustrative accounts are presenting which suggest that bullying behaviours and experiences in professional football mirror those of other sectors, albeit that the manifestations in Turkish professional football are influenced by the national and industry context.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n4p479