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Women Sport Fans: Identification, Participation, Representation PDF

169 Pages·2017·7.727 MB·English
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Women Sport Fans Women worldwide are making their presence felt as sport fans in rapidly increasing numbers. This book makes a distinctive and innovative contri- bution to the study of sport fandom by exploring the growing visibility and interest in women who follow sport. It presents the latest data on women’s sport spectatorship in different regions of the world, posing new theoretical paradigms to study the globalised nature of female sport fandom. This book goes beyond conventional approaches to analysing the prac- tices of women sport fans. By using a critical feminist perspective to inves- tigate cultural conditions and social contexts (including globalisation, digital networked technologies, consumerism, neoliberalism and postfemi- nism), it brings into view a diversity of women’s voices and experiences as sport fans. It sheds new light on the power dynamics of gender, ethnicity and sexuality influencing women’s participation in sport spectatorship and interrogates the ways female sport fandom is made visible through trans- national media networks. Women Sport Fans: Identification, Participation, Representation is fas- cinating reading for all those interested in sport and gender, the sociology of sport, or women’s studies. Kim Toffoletti is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Deakin University, Aus- tralia. She specialises in the study of women’s sporting experiences and representations, using transnational feminist and critical postfeminist per- spectives. She is the co- editor of Sport and Its Female Fans (Routledge, 2012). Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society 78 Lifestyle Sports and Public Policy Edited by Daniel Turner and Sandro Carnicelli 79 International Sports Volunteering Edited by Angela M. Benson and Nicholas Wise 80 Football Fans, Rivalry and Cooperation Edited by Christian Brandt, Fabian Hertel and Sean Huddleston 81 The Feminization of Sports Fandom A Sociological Study Stacey Pope 82 Transgender Athletes in Competitive Sport Edited by Eric Anderson and Ann Travers 83 Sport and Militarism Contemporary global perspectives Edited by Michael L. Butterworth 84 Sport, Community Regeneration, Governance and Development A comparative global perspective Rory Shand 85 Women Sport Fans Identification, participation, representation Kim Toffoletti 86 Sport in Iceland How small nations achieve international success Vidar Halldorsson Women Sport Fans Identification, Participation, Representation Kim Toffoletti First published 2017 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 and by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2017 Kim Toffoletti The right of Kim Toffoletti to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN: 978-1-138-18927-0 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-64169-0 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear To Ike and Art Contents Acknowledgements viii List of Abbreviations x Introduction 1 1 Facts, Figures and Frameworks: Approaching the Study of Women Sport Fans 14 2 Identities, Performances and Pleasures 32 3 Consumption 55 4 Representation 79 5 Digital Networks 102 6 The Postfeminist Sport Fan 123 Conclusion 148 Index 153 Acknowledgements During the writing of this book I have been given the opportunity to explore my ideas and gain valuable insights through discussions amongst various intellectual networks. I am grateful to Loyola Marymount Univer- sity (LMU) in Los Angeles for inviting me to present my research and hosting me while I wrote a number of chapters for this book. My time at LMU was enhanced by conversations with many of the students and faculty in the College of Communication and Fine Arts. Particular thanks go out to Larry Wenner, Michele Hammers, Lisa Lugo and Dean Keith Alexander Bryant for being so welcoming and supportive. Various aca- demic communities in Australia and elsewhere have sustained and enriched my scholarly pursuits. I am deeply thankful to (and for!) my feminist peers in the Australian Women’s and Gender Studies Association, and many members of the feminist sport research community who have engaged with my work and whose insights and feedback have greatly advanced my thinking. I feel lucky to be working with such supportive, respectful and thor- oughly pleasant colleagues in the discipline of Sociology at Deakin Univer- sity. The higher powers in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Arts and Education have been generous with time and money, allowing me to undertake the work necessary to write this book. Special shout- outs to the following Deakin people past and present – Peter Mewett, Catherine Palmer and Grazyna Zajdow – who have variously taken on the roles of supporter, sounding board, collaborator, conspirator and confidante during the journey. This book has come about, to a large extent, because of the collective research I have undertaken with Peter Mewett on women fans of Australian rules football over many years. I owe Peter a debt of gratitude for being an exceptionally generous and easy- going collaborator, for endorsing my ongoing work in this area and for granting permission to use our data in this volume. At Routledge I must thank Max Novick, Simon Whitmore, Cecily Davey and Jennifer Morrow for their enthusiasm for this project, as well as their patience and help throughout the writing, editing, publishing and marketing processes. Acknowledgements ix I take the opportunity here to note that the case study presented in Chapter 3 draws from the article ‘Advertising the 2015 Cricket World Cup: Representing multicultural female sports fans’ in Communication and Sport. Parts of Chapter 4 appeared in an earlier incarnation as ‘Iranian women’s sports fandom: Gender, resistance and identity in the football movie Offside’, in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues. Some of the material in Chapter 6 has been adapted from an article appearing in Fem- inist Media Studies titled ‘Sexy women sport fans: Femininity, sexuality and the global sport spectacle’. Most importantly, thanks to my family for their enduring love and encouragement. The combination of pride and belief that my parents, Guido and Loretta, show in my achievements means more to me than they probably realise. I take the opportunity here to let them know how fantas- tic they are and how much their support mattered in getting this book written. My brothers and their families – Denny, Lisa, Caitlyn, Zachary and Elouise Toffoletti; Patrick, Elizabeth and Nina Toffoletti; and Eddy and Liz Toffoletti – I’m lucky to have you in my life. You are always, always there for me. The Silkstones and Grinlintons – Pamela, Brian, Amy, Bree, Bradley and baby Marlowe – offer unconditional practical support and fun times in equal measure. The idea for this book emerged at a formative moment in my life, just after the birth of Ike and Art. During the time it has taken for me to write it, I have watched with delight as they have developed into funny, feisty, curious and caring little boys. My daughter Sid is a pleasure and joy – it brings me immense happiness to witness her burgeoning independence and creativity. All of my children have shown much patience and acceptance of my writing. Undertaking the dual roles of parent and academic, both of which can seem at times to be all- consuming and overwhelming tasks, has only been possible as part of a team. Dan has been instrumental in the making of this book. He has unreservedly given all his energy and love to caring for our children, is always interested in listening to my ideas and engages in thoughtful and generative ways with my work. I’ll always pick you first in my squad, Silky.

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