Football fandom and Disneyisation in late-modern life

Abstract

In 1999, Alan Bryman coined the term Disneyisation to make the case that more and more sectors of social and cultural life are coming to take on the manifestations of a commercial-style theme park. Using the principle theoretical components outlined by Bryman (theming; hybrid consumption; emotional performative labour; merchandising) and taking into consideration the views of 56 English football fans, this article considers how those Disneyised processes are received, interpreted, integrated and endured in practice. Combining theory with rigorous empiricism, implications for theorists and leisure providers are discussed.

1999年, 艾伦 布里曼创造了术语“迪斯尼化”, 来描述更多的社会和文化生活行业都借鉴了迪斯尼主题公园式商业模式。本文使用布里曼 (主题化概述;混合消费;情绪表演性劳动;商品) 的理论部分, 并且考虑到了56个英格兰球迷的观点, 思考如何将这些迪斯尼化流程在实践中被接收, 解释, 综合和容忍。本文结合了理论和严格的经验主义, 对理论家和休闲提供商起到提示作用。

Keywords:

• commercialism
• football fandom
• Disneyisation
• Disneyfication
• consumer practice
• late modernity

关键词:

• 商业
• 球迷
• 迪斯尼化
• 迪斯尼现象
• 消费者实践
• 后现代化

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank anonymous reviewers for the constructive and helpful comments received on an earlier draft of this paper. All reviewers recommended that, with minor revisions, the paper could be suitable for publication. Below, I explain how those revisions have been incorporated into the resubmitted paper.

Notes

1. Following the launch of a University Press Release, the following media outlets in the North East of England gave time and column inches to promote the research: Newspapers: The Journal; The Northern Echo; Hartlepool Mail; The Sunderland Echo; Evening Gazette; Newcastle Evening Chronicle. Television: BBC North East News; ITV North East Tonight. Radio Interviews: Durham FM 102.6; Century Radio 106 (now ‘Real Radio’); BBC Tees – The Neil Green show; The Matthew Davies breakfast show; The Chris Johnson show.

2. See King (1997) ‘The lads: Masculinity and the new consumption of football’; Sandvoss (2003) ‘A game of two halves’. King’s field work was carried out with Manchester United fans, many of whom were contributors to the Manchester united fanzine ‘red issue’ making them an interesting and yet specialized sample. Furthermore whilst Sandvoss purports to have shed light on the everyday consumption of fandom, he does so, not only with reference to fans of top tier clubs in their domestic leagues (Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen and DC United) but he also assumes homogeneity between fan cultures across geographical space and nationalities.

3. Carl [Darlington, aged 23 (MF)].

4. Luke [Hartlepool, aged 21 (STH)].

5. Peter [Middlesbrough, aged 32 (STH)].

6. Club 1892 refers to the use of an exclusive bar for those fans that pay a premium for a specific match-day package at Newcastle United.

7. Coca Cola ended sponsorship with the football league in 2009. Npower have been the new league sponsors since 2010.

8. Jacko [Newcastle, aged 28 (MF)]; Bill [Sunderland, aged 34 (MF)]; Richie [Liverpool, aged 32 (MF)] and Kelly [Newcastle, aged 25 (MF)].

9. The following Premier League stadiums (2011–2012 season) are named after sponsors: The Britannia Stadium (Stoke City) – ‘Britannia Building Society’; DW Stadium (Wigan) – ‘DW Sports Fitness’; Emirates Stadium (Arsenal) – ‘Emirates Airlines’; Etihad Stadium (Manchester City) – ‘Etihad Airways’; Liberty Stadium (Swansea) ‘Liberty Property PLC’; The Sports Direct Arena (Newcastle) –‘Sport Direct’.

10. The term ‘con-course’ is used here to refer to a large open space within the football stadium where supporters can gather before, during or after the game.

11. Keith [Middlesbrough, aged 45 (MF)].

12. Dougie [Sunderland, aged 37 (STH)].