An autoethnographic analysis of sports identity change

Abstract

In this article, I present an authoethnography of my experience as a sports fan as a method to understand identity change. I use my personal experience as a method to understand general identity processes. Specifically, I apply identity theory and use my experience of identity change to illustrate the operation of four general themes: the source of identity change as a broken identity verification loop; the impact of identity change on authenticity; thresholds of tolerance for fluctuations in identity meanings; and the effect of changes in highly salient identities on other identities in the self-concept.

Notes

1. Identity salience, prominence and commitment are terms commonly used in identity theory. Identity salience represents the likelihood an identity will be activated in a social situation; identity prominence represents the degree of importance one places on an identity; identity commitment represents the number of individuals one is connected to through an identity, and the degree of emotional attachment to those individuals.

2. Every year approximately 60 players from American colleges (and from countries across the globe) are selected by NBA teams in the annual NBA Draft, an event that takes place in June after the NBA season has finished. The teams retain rights to those players drafted, who then sign contracts and play for respective teams who drafted them.

3. The NBA playoffs consist of 4 rounds that take place over approximately 6 weeks: 16 teams compete in the first round, 8 teams compete in the second round, 4 teams compete in the third round (called the Western and Eastern Conference Championships) and 2 teams compete in the fourth round (called the NBA Finals, the winner being named overall league champions).

4. There are three types of identities: person identities, which define the meanings one has for being a unique individual (eg moral, competitive, funny), role identities, which define the meanings one has for being a role player (eg student, worker, spouse), and group (or social) identities, which define the meanings one has for being a member of a group (eg Catholic, Republication, or fan of a sports team) (Burke and Stets 2009).