Antisemitic ‘Jew goal’ slang from video games ‘normalises’ football hate online

Antisemitic language originating in football video games has migrated into mainstream online football culture, helping to normalise hate speech under the guise of humour and fandom, according to new academic research.

The study, published in the journal New Media and Society, analysed 1,364 public posts on X between 2010 and 2020 that used the term “Jew goal” or the hashtag #JewGoal. Researchers found that 1,330 of the posts fell into categories of antisemitism or casual hate.

The phrase refers to a particular type of goal within the FIFA video game franchise and draws on long-standing antisemitic stereotypes. While often framed as a joke or light-hearted football commentary, the researchers say its repeated use embedded racist tropes into everyday online fan discourse.

The research was led by Dr Jack Black, Associate Professor of Culture, Media and Sport at Sheffield Hallam University, alongside academics from Loughborough University, Dublin City University and Leeds Beckett University.

The study found that language from gaming culture migrated “seamlessly” into wider football discussion online, blurring the boundaries between gaming, sport and social media and reinforcing harmful stereotypes in the process.

Researchers said the repeated use of the term created an online environment in which discriminatory language acted as a form of social bonding. This dynamic reflects what psychoanalytic theory calls jouissance – a form of excessive enjoyment attached to language, where repeated use becomes pleasurable regardless of meaning – helping explain why the hashtag persisted as its content became more extreme.

While some posts focused on gameplay alone, many incorporated overt antisemitic references, including Holocaust imagery and Jewish cultural symbols.

Lead author Dr Jack Black, from Sheffield Hallam University’s School of Sport and Physical Activity, said: “The findings reveal how seamlessly antisemitism circulates through digital culture – especially when disguised as entertainment, jokes or rivalry.

“It’s important to try and gain a deeper understanding of how hate operates within online communities, particularly where gaming, sport and social media intersect.”

The findings come amid heightened concern with the Jewish community about the normalisation of antisemitic language online, particularly in spaces where it is dismissed as humour or competitive banter.