The I In Team: Sports Fandom And The Reproduction Of Identity
by Erin C. Tarver /
2017 / English / PDF
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There is one sound that will always be loudest in sports. It isnt the squeak of sneakers or the crunch of helmets it isnt the grunts or even the stadium music. Its the deafening roar of sports fans. For those few among us on the outside, sports fandomwith its war paint and pennants, its pricey cable TV packages and esoteric stats reeled off like codelooks highly irrational, entertainment gone overboard. But as Erin C. Tarver demonstrates in this book, sports fandom has become extraordinarily important to our psyche, a matter of the very essence of who we are. Why in the world, Tarver asks, would anyone care about how well a total stranger can throw a ball, or hit one with a bat, or toss one through a hoop? Because such activities and the massive public events that surround them form some of the most meaningful ritual identity practices we have today. They are a primary way weas individuals and a collectivedecide both who we are who we are not. And as such, they are also one of the key ways that various social structuressuch as race and gender hierarchiesare sustained, lending a dark side to the joys of being a sports fan. Drawing on everything from philosophy to sociology to sports history, she offers a profound exploration of the significance of sports in contemporary life, showing us just how high the stakes of the game are.
