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Finding footy : female fan socialization and Australian rules football

Version 2 2024-06-03, 09:23
Version 1 2014-10-28, 09:23
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-03, 09:23 authored by P Mewett, Kim ToffolettiKim Toffoletti
The question of how, irrespective of gender, a person becomes a sports fan has been absent in sociological studies of sports supporters. Distinct from other studies of sport spectatorship that focus on the practices of already existing (and overwhelmingly male) fans, our research is the first to consider how women become supporters, and in doing so, it begins to redress the significant under-representation of women in sports fan research. From interviews with female supporters of the Australian Football League (AFL), this article identifies and critically assesses the modes by which women come to support sport. We propose four categories to explain the different ways women accomplish fandom, focusing on the importance of strong social ties and doxic actions in this process. The events, experiences and social relations that inform women's first encounters with AFL offers a template for the wider consideration of women as social agents in the sporting landscape.

History

Journal

Sport in society

Volume

14

Pagination

670-684

Location

Abingdon, England

ISSN

1743-0437

eISSN

1743-0445

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2011, Taylor & Francis

Issue

5

Publisher

Routledge