Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-1999

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Sociology

Major Professor

Suzanne B. Kurth

Committee Members

Sherry Cable, Michael L. Benson

Abstract

The sociology of sport literature provides limited information about ordinary sports audiences, too often focusing on the extremes—hooligans or rowdies who engage in violent behavior and television viewers who are not direct participants. This paper investigates the behavior and characteristics of fans attending 21 women's competitive events at a large southeastern university. Using qualitative research techniques, fans' characteristics (gender, age, dress) and behaviors (vocalizations, body movements) were recorded. Observation were made at home game/matches for two intercollegiate women's sports (soccer and volleyball). Typically, more men than women attended these events. Fans at these women's events may be less likely to adorn themselves or carry with them school or team paraphernalia, than fans at events which draw more attention (men's football, women's basketball). Fans at women's events may be less likely to engage in the aggressive behavior expressed by a subset of fans at men's sporting event.". These women's sports fans refer to players by their first names, and treat them like knowable others rather than unknowable stars, and these fans perceived relationship with competitors appears to be different than those at men's events. By studying the increasing numbers of fans of collegiate women's sports, our limited knowledge of sports fans at all types of events can be expanded and of the ways in which audience behavior parallels and diverges from other forms of collective behavior..

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