British American Football: National Identity, Cultural Specificity and Globalization
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British American Football: National Identity, Cultural Specificity and Globalization A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Lacey Elaine Wismer School of Sport and Education Brunel University July 2011 1 Abstract This thesis explores the hybridity and distinctiveness of British American football. Sports have socio-historical links to specific nation-states, thus encoding them with culturally specific values. Despite a movement towards cultural convergence, especially of popular culture, aspects of sport have remained resistant to dominant globalization trends. My thesis reveals that the globalization of American football to Britain has been a process which makes concessions to the local, while still retaining many of its global characteristics. Through an ethnographic study of one team, I spent an entire season becoming an „insider‟ and understanding the British American football culture from the perspective of the participants themselves. Analysis of data collected through participant observation and interviews revealed a number of themes which defined British American football as a hybrid and distinctive sport. First, that British American football was distinctive within the domestic British sports space because of its unique combination of American characteristics. Second, that „glocalization‟ influences the structuring of British American football under the amateur code, in order for the sport to better fit within the British sporting habitus. Finally, that the two branches of American football in Britain, the NFL and the British grassroots, were found to be involved in a disparate relationship which involved each branch concentrating on their own separate agendas for the sport. In conclusion, the American football played in Britain is British American football and this study importantly demonstrates that while a sport can retain its roots in terms of its physical appearance and playing structure, in order for it to infiltrate a foreign sports space, concessions must be made to the local sporting culture. The single most important thread that ran throughout this thesis was that American football could, and has, taken on multiple meanings, which were dependent upon the national context in which it was being played. It emphasizes the idea of globalization as glocalization; that the local is important in the global aspirations of the sport of American football. British American football has placed a uniquely British stamp on an otherwise purely American pastime. 2 Contents Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………….. 5 List of Abbreviations………………………………………………………………... 7 Chapter 1 – Introduction…………………………………………………………… 8 A Personal Journey…………………………………………………………... 8 Thesis Structure……………………………………………………………... 11 Chapter 2 - American Football as Sociological Theory: A Review of the Academic Literature………………………………………………………………. 15 Globalization Theory………………………………………………………...15 National Identity Construction and Sport…………………………………... 27 A Critique of Maguire’s ‘touchdown’ of American Football in Britain.......................................................................................................... 31 American ‘Exceptionalism’ and Sport Space……………………………….. 36 Globalization and the Media………………………………………………... 43 Encoding/Decoding Sport…………………………………………………... 47 The Social Self and Sport.............................................……………………... 50 Masculinity and Sport………………………………………………………. 56 Conclusion………………………………………………………………….. 58 Chapter 3 - The History of American Football: From English Pastime to American Spectacle and Back Again…………………………………….……….. 60 Development and Globalization of Association Football and Rugby Football…………………………………………………….…… 60 The Development of American Football……………………………………. 65 The History of American Football in Britain: The British Media and the NFL………………………………………………………………… 78 The History of British American Football: The Rise and Fall of British Grassroots…………………………………………………………... 82 The NFL International Series: A New Global Strategy…………………….. 87 3 The Recent Effects of the NFL’s Global Expansion on the British Grassroots…………………………………………………………… 91 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………… 94 Chapter 4 - Methods: A Qualitative Approach to the Study of Sport………..... 95 An Epistemological Position………………………………………………... 95 Ethnography as a Methodology in Sports Sociology……………………….. 98 The Ethnographic Process………………………………………………….102 Observations and the Ethnographic Record………………………………..106 Interviews…………………………………………………………………...110 Narrative Analysis and Ethnography……………………………………….112 Theoretical and Methodological Criticisms……………………………….. 114 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………. 117 Chapter 5 – British American Football as a Distinctive Sport within the British Sports Space………………………………………………………………………. 118 British American Football as a Distinctive Sport…………………………. 118 Pairing the Mental and the Physical………………………………………. 120 British American Football as a Mental Game…………………………….. 123 British American Football as a Physical Game…………………………… 128 Diversity in British American Football……………………………………. 132 We are Family: Camaraderie and British American Football……………. 136 Using Bourdieu to Understand British American Football as a Sport of Distinction………………………………………………………… 141 Conclusion……………...…………………………………………………... 143 Chapter 6 - The Amateurism of British American Football: A Process of ‘Glocalization’…………………………………………………………………. 144 British American Football and Amateurism………………………………. 144 Class & Amateurism in British American Football....................................... 151 The ‘local’ influence on British American Football.…………………..…... 155 The London Bombers’ Culture of Amateurism…………………..………... 163 ‘Glocalization’ and British American Football............................................... 166 4 Youth: The Future of British American Football………………………….. 172 Where Does British American Football Go From Here?............................. 178 Conclusion……………………………………………………………......... 182 Chapter 7 - The Globalization of the NFL and British American Football: The Spectacle vs. the Reality………………………………………….. 183 Spectacle and the Commercialization of British American Football……… 183 The Failure of NFL Europe………………………………………………... 187 The NFL International Series as a New Global Strategy………………….. 190 The International Series and Grassroots British American Football……... 195 A Missed Media Opportunity……………………………………………… 201 Global vs. Local: Popular Views of American Football…………………... 207 NFL and British American Football, a Discordant Relationship…………. 211 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………. 215 Chapter 8 – Conclusions…………………………………………………………. 216 General Conclusions………………………………………………………. 216 Implications and Limitations of the Research……………………………... 226 Reflexivity: Personal Reflections on the Research Process…...…………... 229 Appendices………………………………………………………………………... 232 Appendix 1: The number of adult contact leagues and registered team numbers by year……………………………………………………………… 232 Appendix 2: Don‟t Stop Believing: A Narrative of the 2009 London Bombers American Football Team…………………………………. 233 Appendix 3: Sample Field Notes………………………………………………….. 238 Appendix 4: Semi-Structured Interview Questions……………………………….. 243 Appendix 5: Confidentiality Agreement…………………………………………... 244 Appendix 6: Coding Example................................................................................... 246 Appendix 7: Player Profiles...................................................................................... 247 References………………………………………………………………………… 249 5 Acknowledgements This thesis could not have been accomplished without the help and encouragement of numerous people over the past three years. First, I would like to thank the School of Sport and Education at Brunel University which took me on as a transfer student during the middle of my PhD journey and provided me with the academic environment and resources I needed to complete my thesis. Second, I need to thank my supervisors, Dr. Eileen Kennedy and Dr. Laura Hills. Eileen has been my supervisor on this project since the beginning, and her guidance has been invaluable to the success of this PhD. She instilled in me the importance of foresight and made sure I started writing early on in the PhD process. She provided me with prompt and reliable feedback throughout all stages of my program, and went above and beyond during my transfer process to be sure I was matched with the right university. Laura became one of my PhD supervisors half way through my journey, but fit into the team flawlessly. She provided me with plenty of encouragement, advice, and direction during my analysis and writing up phases. I cannot thank her enough for supporting my transfer to Brunel and for making sure the process was carried out smoothly. Finally, I want to mention Dr. Miyoung Oh, who was my supervisor at Roehampton University during the first half of my program. She offered me considerable insight while I was formulating my methodology and collecting my data. Her contribution to this project has certainly not been forgotten. I owe a great deal to these three individuals and their patience, dedication, and sociological knowledge of sport should be acknowledged. Also deserving considerable mention is my family, because without their support I would not have been able to complete this PhD. To my father, who has always been my rock, thank you for supporting my academic ambitions and for providing me with the finances and encouragement that I needed over the past three