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Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Horse racing and the growth of hashtag activism
Leisure Studies, Vol.43(5), pp.816-831
2024
Abstract
The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s pinnacle horse racing event, attracting more than 80,000 physical attendees each year (pre-COVID-19), as well as numerous others watching via live broadcasts around the country and overseas. In recent times, however, there have been growing calls to boycott the event, following concerns over the treatment of horses. New hashtag movements lobbying against horse racing have also emerged, aided by the affordances of social media. However, very little attention has been paid to these digital movements in the animal-based leisure and recreation literature. In this study, we investigate one such growing movement, namely, #Nuptothecup. We explore how horse racing is framed by digital activists, revealing their moral, socio-cultural, and political objections. Our findings suggest a societal shift towards a strong animal ethics sentiment combined with a more generalised disdain towards the racing industry and its wider societal ramifications. We argue that if #Nuptothecup and related activisms continue to gain momentum, the Cup may eventually lose its social licence to operate. Further, we consider potential opportunities for managers to reinvent horse racing’s image and practices, if it is to secure its survival as an Australian recreational institution.
Details
- Title
- Horse racing and the growth of hashtag activism
- Authors
- Mucha Mkono (Author) - The University of QueenslandAaron Tham (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesKaren Hughes (Author) - The University of QueenslandStella Echentille (Author) - The University of Queensland
- Publication details
- Leisure Studies, Vol.43(5), pp.816-831
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1080/02614367.2023.2271182
- ISSN
- 1466-4496; 0261-4367
- Copyright note
- © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99971598602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
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