Understanding social media responses to Calvin Ridley’s and Ivan Toney’s suspensions for sports betting

As sports betting becomes normalized and more easily accessible worldwide, it is important to understand how fans make sense of high-profile athlete suspensions, particularly within the context of athlete mental health. Given the ubiquity of social media and its potential to for fostering toxic dialogue, this study compares Twitter and Reddit posts from the U.S. and the U.K. both before and after Ridley and Toney detailed how mental health challenges shaped their decisions to place prohibited wagers.