Published in the journal New Media and Society, the research analysed 1,364 public posts on X (formerly Twitter) that used the term “Jew goal” or the hashtag #JewGoal between 2010 and 2020. Most posts (1,330 out of 1,364) fell into categories of antisemitism or casual hate.
The phrase refers to a particular type of goal in the FIFA video game, drawing upon long-standing antisemitic stereotypes. The study shows how this term, framed as a joke or as light-hearted football commentary, embedded racist tropes into online fandom.
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.
Their findings reveal how language from gaming culture seamlessly migrated into real-world sports talk, blurring online and offline spaces and perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
The study highlights that repeated use of the term created an online environment where discriminatory language became a bonding mechanism.
This phenomenon reflects what psychoanalytic theory calls jouissance—a form of excessive enjoyment attached to language, where using the term becomes pleasurable regardless of meaning. This explains why the hashtag persisted even as its content grew more extreme.
While some posts mocked gameplay, many incorporated explicit 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.
“Distinguishing between ‘banter’ and racism becomes less useful when harmful language spreads through shared enjoyment rather than explicit intention.
“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.”
