Reflexivity of Contemporary Football Fandom
Dino Numerato
Department of Institutional Analysis and Public Management, Bocconi University (Milan, Italy)
The main objective of this paper will be to capture the emerging and under-researched forms of reflexivity of football fans. In particular, the paper will explore various manifestations of fans’ differentiation from and resistance to the culture of modern football; fans’ civic engagement; and, fan activities that foster social development. By approaching the reflexive football fan as an actively engaged and knowledgeable citizen, the contribution will revisit the mainstream sociological conceptualisations and public images, which have prevalently portrayed a football fan in terms of a violent hooligan or passive consumer.
In relation to football fandom, two basic forms of reflexivity - reflexivity in and through football - will be distinguished. Accordingly, the reflexivity of contemporary football fans can be understood, first, in terms of fans’ forms of detachment, critical distance, contestation or resistance with regard to the football industry. Fan reflexivity is therefore expressed in relation to developments such as the modernisation of sports facilities, the increased costs of attending sport events, the usage of specific police control strategies and surveillance tools among supporters, the increasing commercialisation of sport in general, and associated concerns over perceived changes in the relationships between fans, players and clubs. Exploration of these issues may also encompass research into criticism of the politics and management of clubs, the quality of play, or the relationships between media and sport.
Second, the reflexivity of contemporary football fans is represented by a more participatory outlook. In this vein, reflexivity encompasses fans’ competence to organise, transform and direct fandom towards social development activities. The term ‘social development’ refers to aims and activities that seek to promote, for example, the social inclusion of ethnic minorities, the greater presence of women and children in the stands, the reinforcement of social cohesion, and the development and resilience of local communities.
The paper will be based on a review of existing literature and an analysis of primary and secondary documents (such as songs, slogans, banners, fanzines, e-zines, or supporters’ associations’ websites), providing examples from three European countries with different traditions and cultures of football fandom: England, Italy and the Czech Republic.
