Globalization, Soccer, and Translocal
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Communications BEYOND BOUNDARIES: GLOBALIZATION, SOCCER, AND TRANSLOCAL FANDOM A Dissertation in Mass Communications by Tanner R. Cooke © 2017 Tanner R. Cooke Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2017 The dissertation of Tanner R. Cooke was reviewed and approved* by the following: Matthew P. McAllister Professor of Communications Dissertation Co-Adviser Co-Chair of Committee C. Michael Elavsky Associate Professor of Communications Dissertation Co-Adviser Co-Chair of Committee Marie Hardin Dean and Professor of Communications Mark S. Dyreson Professor of Kinesiology Ford Risley Associate Dean and Professor of Communication *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. ii Abstract This dissertation interrogates the commercial construction and US fan understanding of place in global soccer. I first examine how soccer globalized, moving from a local game developed in post-industrial England to its current status as a global sport. Using Appadurai’s scapes, I examine how soccer incorporates the geographic flow of people, money, media, technology, and ideology to create a globalized cultural form. After building the foundation of a global game, I examine the case of the English Premier League (EPL) to detail the ways in which globalization of soccer has resulted in a commercialized sporting form. After establishing the EPL as a global brand, I examine how the clubs were sold and adapted to the American market, particularly through the process of reverse corporate nationalism. The EPL is sold as something authentically British to appeal to American audiences who engage with the game as a global form. This theme is also evident in a key analytical component of this dissertation: a participant observation of a popular soccer-oriented sports bar in Washington D.C. I examine the ways in which fans engage with the global through their affiliation with global sport as enacted by their fandom and their reflections on it. I particularly highlight how fans are attempting to act and explain their actions in ways that are consistent with preconceived notions of fan authenticity, by enacting practices that then allow them to see themselves as connected to Europe, the UK and even specific cities and neighborhoods in various ways. Here fans are making connections with the global through acts of consumption, but also make meaning through those acts that situate them as cosmopolitans with hybrid identities. The use of soccer to engage with the global is thus a complex and multifaceted process. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements….........................................................................................................vi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION…..........................................................................................1 Globalization and Sport.................................................................................................4 Contributions.................................................................................................................9 Media and sport............................................................................................................13 Soccer and Place-based identity…...............................................................................18 Chapter Breakdown.....................................................................................................23 Chapter 2. THE GLOBAL GAME....................................................................................26 Soccer and Globalization….........................................................................................31 Global Soccer’s Ethnoscape…....................................................................................32 Labor…..................................................................................................................33 Tourists…..............................................................................................................37 Migration/Locals…................................................................................................40 Global Soccer’s Financescape….................................................................................41 Ownership…..........................................................................................................41 Sponsors….............................................................................................................44 Sport Goods and Apparel…...................................................................................45 Global Soccer’s Technoscape…..................................................................................46 Global Soccer’s Mediascape…....................................................................................48 Global Soccer’s Ideoscape….......................................................................................52 Conclusion…...............................................................................................................54 Chapter 3. BUILDING THE GLOBAL BRAND..............................................................56 From Local to Global...................................................................................................58 The Commodification and Commercialization of English Soccer..............................63 Branding, Soccer, and Place........................................................................................73 Welcome to America...................................................................................................79 Going on Tour........................................................................................................79 Selling Cultural Difference....................................................................................83 Conclusion...................................................................................................................89 Chapter 4. THE GLOBAL FANS......................................................................................92 Introduction…..............................................................................................................92 Method….....................................................................................................................99 Stories from the Soccer Bar…...................................................................................103 My First Day........................................................................................................105 iv The Stadium in the Soccer Bar............................................................................113 Embracing Geographic Rivalries & Performing Geographic Loyalties..............116 Picking a Team, Picking a Place..........................................................................119 Discussion..................................................................................................................127 The Soccer-Bar as Place; Enacting Authenticity; Finding Meaning...................127 Conclusion.................................................................................................................133 Chapter 5. CONCLUSION..............................................................................................135 Dissertation Summary…............................................................................................136 Limitations & Directions for future research….........................................................141 References........................................................................................................................145 v Acknowledgements To my wife, Adrienne, thank you for the unwavering support, the sleepless nights, and the constructive criticism. Thank you for all the coffee dates and conversations about sports, globalization, and media studies. Thank you for taking an interest, where you never really had one. Thank you for keeping me calm when I was stressed, and focused when I was distracted. I cannot thank you enough for loving me through this process. This project is as much yours as it is mine. To my committee: Dr. McAllister, thank you for always having an open door and being the mentor that I needed. Your constant support, never-ending enthusiasm, and meaningful insights will not be forgotten. You have made my experience at Penn State more rewarding than I ever could have imagined. Dr. Elavsky, thank you for always challenging me and making me believe in myself. Dean Hardin, thank you for that first phone call, admitting me to Penn State. Thank you for always making time. Thank you for seeing me as the scholar I am, even before I saw it myself. Dr. Dyreson, thank you for showing me how to engage in the serious study of sport. Thank you for making me feel confident and correct in my decision to do such study. To my friends and family, thank you for always being there for me, and never asking me about my dissertation. Without you providing some semblance of normalcy and stability in my life, I would have likely given up long ago. You have contributed to my success more than you will ever know. To my colleagues, thank you for all the conversations, arguments, and input. You all helped set the foundation, and for that, I will forever be grateful. vi Chapter 1 Introduction I have been fortunate in my life to leave the United States and spend some time abroad. A variety of interests has