Protests and Calls for Boycotting the Qatar World Cup 2022 Spark Online Discussion and Action Away from the Soccer Pitch

Global sporting events regularly spark conversations on issues beyond the playing field, including those at the nexus of sport and geopolitics. This year’s World Cup is no exception, a conversation that began soon after the event was awarded by FIFA to Qatar, a Middle Eastern nation with a population of just over 3 million residents – exponentially smaller than typical hosts of such events – and with a record of exploitative labor systems and a highly questionable human rights record. While this conversation has led to protests and investigative reports on a range of news networks, it has also become a touchpoint of conversation on social media, a place where sports fans and critics often convene and to rally behind athletes, teams, and movements. This study will examine recent conversation about the upcoming World Cup and human rights issues. More specifically, it will measure social media conversation and sentiment around the rising question of boycotting the event. In other words, this study will examine what people are saying on social media about boycotting the World Cup and what impact that might have on the protest movement and the event itself