Public Discourse on Doping Scandals in Sport: A Multi-Method Analysis of YouTube Comments in the Digital Public Sphere

Nastasya Mamonova, Oxana Mikhaylova, HSE University, Russian Federation, Department for Social Institutions Analysis, Center for Contemporary Childhood Research, HSE University, Russian Federation

Communication & Sport

Published online on March 05, 2026

Abstract

Communication & Sport, Ahead of Print.
This article investigates how publics interpret and debate doping scandals in sport within YouTube’s communicative environment. It draws on theories of deviant behavior, labeling, moral panic, the digital public sphere, and McLuhan’s insight that media ...