Reflections on Realities
Becoming One in German Soccer: Globalization and the Stadium Experience
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jinseo Hong, Arne Koch
How does the evolution of German soccer clubs from regional anchors into global commodities leave room for all their supporters to become a full part of a community beyond the imagined? Both clubs at the very top, like Borussia Dortmund, and others struggling for recognition in lower levels, like Hertha BSC Berlin, have seen their international following grow exponentially over recent years. And supporters’ club allegiances as well as their takes on the previous weekend’s fixtures are relived and shared virtually 24/7 in online environments around the globe. Against this globalizing dynamic, local supporters often express certain resistance and stake claims of involvement that exclude remote fans. By focusing on the notion that participation in game day performances by fans (tifos; blason populaire; fan marches; etc.), led above all by Ultra groups, is seen as requisite by both local and global fans for attaining full status as ‘one of us,’ this paper focuses on the theatricality of stadium experiences as passionately performed and choreographed 90-minute ‘operas’ and, more importantly, as lived moments of (regional) history. Through analysis of fan online discourse (at once an extension of what Tim Crabbe (2006) calls the vernacular culture and a part of the cultural industry) alongside consideration of in-stadium dynamics driven by chants and choreo, this paper argues that supporters of teams that are becoming global commodities (i.e. fans consume them everywhere) accept and promote that only through local participation being a part of the fabric of true fans is seen as possible.
Featured Promoting Cosmopolitan Nationalism through the Olympic Movement: A Critical Study of the Olympic Values Education Programme
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ian Tay
The Olympic Games is a platform where athletes from all over the world come together to compete together in the name of sports and friendship. However, beneath the hype and international broadcast of the various global events of the games itself, there is an Olympic movement, made up of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Sports Federations (IFs) and the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), underlying the games. However, despite having the IOC and the IFs organising the games and bringing athletes over from all over the world, it is still the NOCs which are preparing and sending their athletes to the games, and then judged based on their position on the medal tally. This is similar to the neoliberal world order of global markets where although there are international organisations and multinational companies, state actors are still in charged on developing the human capital required for the international markets and economies are still compared with one another through GDP, HDI, or other indicators of living standards. This paper therefore analyses how the IOC is promoting such a world order through an analysis of the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) and argue that the OVEP can be used to prepare the youths of the world for success in the current neoliberal world order. This will enable the understanding of the concept of Cosmopolitan Nationalism to be extended in the field of Education and Sports and also add relevance to programmes such as OVEP to national development narratives.
Featured The Cultural Discourse of Fan Engagement on X: A Netnography on Liverpool FC Fans in Malaysia
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Farah Izzati Farok
The growth of X (formerly Twitter) has changed the way on how football fans behave, creating a notable power shift in the fan-club dynamics. Fans are no longer passive bystanders and receivers of content, but instead wield considerable influence as active creators, curators, and distributors of social media content, as well as their choice of content selectivity. This study identifies of what is known as “Fan-Group Generated Content” (FGGC), a form of user-driven content created by fan accounts as a transformational change of the initial norms of how the culture between fans and clubs would function. Distinct from User-Generated Content (UGC), FGGC creates an unidentified and unique position of where fan accounts operate, as they are a mixture of influencers, content creators, and opinion leaders. Focusing on transnational Liverpool FC fans in Malaysia, this study explores how local cultural nuances shape the creation and engagement of fan content. Utilizing a netnographic approach by collecting online data from X, this study then employs a social network analysis to uncover conversational patterns, relationship dynamics, and influential figures around whom fan engagement revolves. Additionally, a visual discourse analysis reveals how FGGC is constructed, interpreted, and communicated, highlighting recurring themes that foster fan engagement. The findings underscore how X has become a foundational platform for building a dynamic online community, establishing a multi-dimensional relationship between fans and clubs that transcends traditional two-way communication.
