Fan culture and motivation in the context of successful women’s professional team sports: a mixed-methods case study of Portland Thorns fandom
Deutscher übersetzter Titel: | Fankultur und -motivation im Kontext eines erfolgreichen Frauen-Profi-Mannschaftssports: Eine Fallstudie unter Verwendung verschiedener Methoden anhand der Portland Thorns-Fangemeinde |
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Autor: | Guest, Andrew M. |
Erschienen in: | Sport in society |
Veröffentlicht: | 21 (2018), 7 (Women’s Soccer in the United States), S. 1013-1030, Lit. |
Format: | Literatur (SPOLIT) |
Publikationstyp: | Zeitschriftenartikel |
Medienart: | Elektronische Ressource (online) Gedruckte Ressource |
Sprache: | Englisch |
ISSN: | 1743-0437, 1743-0445, 1461-0981 |
DOI: | 10.1080/17430437.2017.1346620 |
Schlagworte: | |
Online Zugang: | |
Erfassungsnummer: | PU201805003067 |
Quelle: | BISp |
Abstract des Autors
By the metric of average home attendance, the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League are the most popular women’s professional sports team in the world. This paper investigates that distinct sports context through a mixed-methods case study of Thorns fandom, asking what fans themselves perceive to be salient elements of a successful fan culture for women’s professional soccer and what motivates their fandom. Drawing on survey data that are contextualized by ethnographic observations and interviews, we offer an interpretive analysis of ways Thorns fandom hybridizes elements of traditional and alternative sports fandom. Our findings highlight the emphasis Thorns fans put on quality soccer in a professional atmosphere where fans themselves create the supporters culture, along with the symbolic importance to fans of identifying with values such as gender empowerment, diversity and inclusion. We discuss ways these themes might offer and inform alternative models of sports fandom.