Massillonproud: a Performance Studies Approach to High School Football and Localized Meaning-Making by ©2015 Jeffrey James List
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MassillonProud: A Performance Studies Approach to High School Football and Localized Meaning-Making By ©2015 Jeffrey James List Submitted to the graduate degree program in Theatre and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Henry Bial, Ph.D. ________________________________ John Gronbeck-Tedesco, Ph.D. ________________________________ Mechele Leon, Ph.D. ________________________________ Nicole Hodges Persley, Ph.D. ________________________________ Ben Chappell, Ph.D. Date Defended: 12 May 2015 ii The Dissertation Committee for Jeff List certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: MassillonProud: A Performance Studies Approach to High School Football and Localized Meaning-Making ________________________________ Chairperson Henry Bial, Ph.D. Date approved: 12 May 2015 iii Abstract Residents in Massillon, OH understand their relationship to the town through the lens of football. Football offers residents a narrative to which they can accede when the popularized narratives of the town fail to appropriately frame their experiences. The construction of Massillon as a blue-collar small town conflicts with historical narratives presented by other local institutions. Re-enacting the football narrative constructs a sense of self that rationalizes civic identities when confronted with counter-narratives. High school football, then, perpetuates the local, blue collar sense of self. By advancing the football narrative, they can claim that racial and class relations are less relevant in their lives because football enacts a classless and colorblind meritocracy. Because black and white players work where only talent matters, race and class are no longer determinants of success and opportunity. The spectacles and rituals of football also inform residents’ relationship to the team. They valorize the team and socialize newcomers and children into the embodied performances which create emotional attachments. Attachment has reached such proportions for some that they ascribe a biological or essential quality to football. The essential quality of the team also gets perpetuated though discourse and everyday practices. Residents conflate team and town where supporting the team means supporting the town. People enact civic identities as they recirculate the football narrative. Beginning with Paul Brown, an infrastructure supporting the team has grown into a celebratory complex of hundreds of projects and programs. Participation in the complex enhances the oneness of being part of the team. People access the greatness associated with the team by constructing a team identity. Individual, civic, and team identities coalesce during McKinley Week, where residents can combat others who represent what they strive to overcome. The repetition of images and performances ingrains the attraction to the team. Residents use football as a mechanism for meaning-making. iv Acknowledgment I would never have been able to complete my dissertation without the guidance of my committee, help from colleagues, and the support of friends and family. I deeply appreciate the encouragement and guidance from my chair person, Dr. Henry Bial. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Nicole Hodges Persley, a marvelous mentor who treated me like a colleague. I would like to thank Dr. John Gronbeck-Tedesco for teaching me the value of rigor and acting as an invaluable font of knowledge. I would also like to thank Dr. Mechele Leon for pushing me to “just write” and encouraging me to find what works for me. Special thanks goes to Dr. Ben Chappell, who provided great perspective in the study of sport and agreed to serve on my committee while on leave. I would also like to thank James Diemer, Susan Burke, Scott Knowles, Boone Hopkins, Chandra Hopkins, officemate Seokhun Choi, Rob and Jesi Connick, Stephen Harrick, and countless other friends and colleagues. No one, not even me, could get by in a doctoral program without the camaraderie and social support they provided. I would like to thank the residents of Massillon, OH, especially those who welcomed me and my research, for sharing their beautiful town. Lastly, my family gave me the support and encouragement I needed when things were going smoothly and when the inevitable stress mounted. v Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 Theoretical Frames ......................................................................................................... 6 Sport as Cultural Performance ........................................................................... 8 Spectacle ........................................................................................................... 11 Ritual ................................................................................................................ 14 Social Capital ................................................................................................... 17 Methods ........................................................................................................................ 19 Interviews ......................................................................................................... 29 Visual Ethnography .......................................................................................... 34 Representation .................................................................................................. 38 Chapter Breakdown ...................................................................................................... 39 Chapter Two: Town ................................................................................................................. 44 History .......................................................................................................................... 52 MassMu ........................................................................................................................ 57 Economy ...................................................................................................................... 76 Small Town .................................................................................................................. 83 Race .............................................................................................................................. 86 Chapter Three: Team ............................................................................................................... 95 Tiger Legacy .............................................................................................................. 102 Band ........................................................................................................................... 110 Obie ............................................................................................................................ 120 The Game Experience ................................................................................................ 134 Personal Attachment .................................................................................................. 145 Chapter Four: Booster Club ................................................................................................... 155 vi Organization ............................................................................................................... 167 Wall of Champions .................................................................................................... 172 The Sideliners ............................................................................................................. 175 Membership................................................................................................................ 181 Community Service .................................................................................................... 191 “Hangers-on” .............................................................................................................. 198 Chapter Five: McKinley Week .............................................................................................. 211 The Rivalry ................................................................................................................. 219 The Week ................................................................................................................... 234 The Parade .................................................................................................................. 243 The Bonfire ................................................................................................................ 252 Game Day ................................................................................................................... 257 The Stakes .................................................................................................................. 278 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 281 Appendix A: Oral Consent..................................................................................................... 288 Appendix B: Interview Questions .......................................................................................... 289 Appendix C: City of Massillon Flag Legislation ..................................................................