NOT DOING ECONOMIC Issue- Fan Movements (also NOT DOING ECN Inequalities) Flashcards
(19 cards)
What were the main areas of this lecture?
Explore football hooliganism and the context of contemporary sports fan movements
New forms of fan engagement
European models of fandom
The role of violence, masculinity and political identity in fan movements
What makes sport such a place for fan movements?
Sport= a SOCIAL movement, an emotional connection and a way to connect to people- football fandom as an EMOTIONAL act.
199- Formation of the PL- some felt it was good, was put on Sky TV
What are the main distinctions between English and Italian fans?
The English Fans- stereotypical hyperextensions of masculinity. Casual wear (stone island, fila). A different style emerged in the 1960’s- travel to watch teams.
vs
The Italian Fans- flairs, banners, flags, Livorno specifically= small city in Italy.
The ULTRAS - ultra loyalists to a club- associated with a collective identity. Champions league= travel.
‘We can tell a lot about sport through the values of a sport and how they operate within political spaces’
What’s the ISSUE?
Sports Activism- can be used for good, for hope and to change things, but can this go too far sometimes?
eg: Leiga Warsaw fans protest against UEFA after UCL expulsion. Football doesn’t matter, money does.
And FAN CULTURE- violence, racism, crime- undermines football as a sport across Europe and the world.
The English Disease?
Long history of VIOLENCE at sporting events
Widespread disorder associated with football across the globe
Increased international competition- CL- major policing operations
What’s the historical context of fan movements?
Not new, a long history- seen within horse racing.
By 1960s increasing violent encounters between young males (Dunning, 1999)
Linked to masculine ideas of ‘pride’ and ‘defending territory’
Became more organised.
What are some of the main causes of hooliganism according to literature?
Ritualised aggression (Marsh 1978)
Alienated working class (Taylor 1968)
Uncivilised working class rump (Dunning et al 1986)
Media Exaggeration (Dunning 1990)
Quest for excitement (Elias & Dunning 1986)
Interaction & Emotion (Collins 2008; Doidge et al 2020)
The Police (Stott & Reicher 1998; Doidge 2015)
Masculinity (King 1997; Doidge et al 2020)
Why study hooliganism?
Violence is very rare (Collins 2008)
Violent crime is decreasing
Violence in society is decreasing (Pinker 2011)
Most humans actively avoid violence
When violence does occur it is often at a distance – objects thrown
How groups form – and violence escalates
EG: Euro 2020 Final disorder- As a result of the violence and disorder, 86 people were arrested by police, 53 of them at Wembley Stadium for offences including public order breaches, assault, drunk and disorderly conduct, and criminal damage.
Give some examples of poor fan organisation?
Heysel- 39 Italians died
Hillsborough- NF + Liverpool- FA Cups semi-final
1989 (97 dead)
Give some examples of good fan organisation?
Football Supporters Association (1985)
Football Supporters Federation (2002)
Chair on FA Council
Merger with Supporters Direct (2018)
What are some new forms of fan political engagements?
Actively involved in politics.
In relation to transformation of football
Independent Supporters Associations (ISAs) (Nash 2000)
Different in Europe (commercialisation more advanced and aggressive in Britain)
Contesting changes
New stadiums, ticket prices
Inclusive
Women, children, retired, disabled
+fan trusts- Supporters Direct (2000)
National organisation to support trusts
Over 200 Trusts in England, Scotland and Wales
Give some examples of positive fan engagement from football?
Within the COMMUNITY
Food banks- people visit and donate when they do.
Free period products in toilets at Celtic Football Club, now across Ireland.
Describe who the Ultras are?
A global fan movement, global phenomenon, about being visual, collective and political.
Developed in 1970s (Podaliri 1998)
Young masculine fan clubs
Violence is part of the identity
Became more violent in 1980s (Roversi 2000)
Police have become opponents (Doidge 2015)
Localised Identity (Doidge 2015; Doidge et al 2020)
Presented through colourful choreographies
Draw on History and Local Symbols
Use of politics
What things dominate Ultra groups?
- Social isolation (Putnam 1993, 2000)
- Fall of Public Man (Sennett 1977)
- Rituals of co-operation (Sennett 2012)
What does it mean that there’s an element of performance to the Ultras?
Presentation of self (Goffman 1959)
‘Performativity’ (Butler 1990)
Spectacular choreographies present the group to the opposition
Combines local and political identities
Use of banners
Includes insults to opponents
To make political statements
To send messages to the team
Increasingly using pyrotechnics
How do the ultras/ strong fans become linked to violence?
Violence is part of the ultras identity
More focussed on violence in 1980s
Leads to organised crime and committing offences.
How does masculinity become part of it?
Ultras are predominantly masculine fan groups (Doidge et al 2020)
Hegemonic Masculinity (Connell 1987)
Associated with physical and sexual prowess
Performed through the choreographies
Warriors, fighters, dominant
Solidarity, uniformity
Why are inter-club rivalries important?
The ‘Importance of difference’ (De Biasi and Lanfranchi 1997)
Inter-club rivalry sharpens identity
BUT
Can also have Gemellaggio (the Twinning of clubs) if they share the same values
What is the main thing Ultras are normally against in todays society?
MODERN FOOTBALL- changes and increased prices and increasingly centred on money.
Economic transformation of European football
Campaigning against:
Commercialism
Ticket prices
Ownership
Ban on Pyrotechnics
