Fandom

Abstract: In the modern day sport marketplace, professional sport teams face tough competition to build and sustain a viable fan base. This study sought to address three research questions: (a) what are the factors that contribute to the socialization of sports fans in niche sport markets? (b) How do team-led and fan-led initiatives work to socialize fans? Finally, (c) to what extent do the socialization factors affect identify as a sports fan for a niche sport and overall fan consumption behavior? A questionnaire was administered to 535 NHL fans and data were analyzed through conducting an Exploratory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. The most notable findings revealed that influences from family or media exposure did not play a factor in the socialization of these fans, signaling the uniqueness of Sunbelt regional marketplace and a departure from traditional beliefs. Discussions are focused on interpreting theoretical and practical implications for socializing individuals into being hockey fans, growing professional hockey, projecting sustainable development, and providing a framework for other sport leagues.

Abstract: Futbol as a source of national identity for many Argentineans has been documented by several scholars. Literature on how it represents the broader scope of Argentine society continues to develop. During the most significant period of modernization, many dwelling within Argentina searched for representation of the cultural and social essence of their respective locales. Social clubs became well organized throughout the country and each served as the pillar of identification many sought. Futbol competitions soon offered an outlet with which to construct and affirm particular identities. Argentinean futbol fans continue this practice today. How football supporters live and enact their fandom have been explored widely in Europe. In particular, recent work has begun to examine the popular cultural forms that emerge from sports fans, particularly songs, chants and the use of musical instruments. An analytical study of the songs and chants composed and delivered by the militant (barras bravas) and casual fans fr...

Abstract: This article looks at football as a vehicle for identity formation among Suryoye, a Christian, Middle Eastern migrant community in Sweden. Two Suryoye second division football clubs from the small town of Sodertalje – Syrianska FC and Assyriska FF – constitute the core of the analysis, which is based on fieldwork among fans from both clubs. The two clubs mirror an ongoing identity conflict within the Suryoye community between those who call themselves ‘Assyrians’ and those who prefer ‘Syriacs’ as their collective identity. Theoretically, dominant conceptions within football studies of football and fandom as ‘liminal spectacles’ are challenged, and a Butlerian notion of identity as constituted of repetitive performativities is instead adopted. In the ethnographic discussion, Suryoyo football is conceptualized as a ‘performative space’ that facilitates utterances and practices that divide Suryoye into Assyrians and Syriacs. A variety of aspects of football as such a performative space is explored, and it is...

Abstract: Matt Hills e Professor de Film & TV Studies na Aberystwyth University, no Pais de Gales. Ele possui um mestrado pela Goldsmiths, University of London, e um doutorado pela University of Sussex. Fa autodeclarado da serie britânica Doctor Who, Hills tem escrito sobre fas e fandom desde o inicio de sua carreira, ao lado de trabalhos sobre audiencias de midia, cinema e TV cult, qualidade da televisao e cultura digital. Seu livro Fan Cultures (2002) esta entre as mais reconhecidas contribuicoes aos estudos de fa. Nessa entrevista, Matt Hills fala sobre os desafios teoricos e empiricos na definicao e estudos dos fas, a complexidade do termo e os tipos de envolvimento e comportamento no fandom online e off-line.