FANTASY FOOTBALL: ANALYZING FANTASY THEMES in AMERICA's RHETORICAL PASTIME Frankie Christ Clemson University, [email protected]
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Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 8-2010 FANTASY FOOTBALL: ANALYZING FANTASY THEMES IN AMERICA'S RHETORICAL PASTIME Frankie Christ Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Christ, Frankie, "FANTASY FOOTBALL: ANALYZING FANTASY THEMES IN AMERICA'S RHETORICAL PASTIME" (2010). All Theses. 902. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/902 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FANTASY FOOTBALL: ANALYZING FANTASY THEMES IN AMERICA'S RHETORICAL PASTIME A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Professional Communication by Francisco E. Christ August 2010 Accepted by: Dr. Steven B. Katz, Committee Chair Dr. Andrew C. Billings Dr. Sean D. Williams i ABSTRACT Fantasy football has emerged as a male-bonding experience of our online age. In understanding the formation of a rich rhetorical community, a close examination of how these fantasy football communities represent the larger culture is required. This thesis uses Ernest Bormann’s theoretical framework of fantasy theme analysis to examine how the sharing of group fantasies creates a symbolic convergence. Once symbolic convergence has occurred, group members are then able to share rhetorical visions that shape their world’s view. In the case of this thesis, Bormann’s methods have been modified to better understand the small group dynamics of fantasy football participants. This thesis examines the Fantasy Fairies Futbol Club, which consists of 12 managers who all share the same rhetorical vision. Coding of the Fantasy Fairies Futbol Club’s messages revealed the majority of the terms mentioned deal with references to individuals. Dividing messages into their relationship to the fantasy league, the real world, and places in between reveals an overwhelming use of “I” and “me” but nothing noting the plurality of an actual team. The coded message content also shows that the topic is the team manager’s emotional investment and never about the actual NFL players’ emotional investments, showing how each member sees himself as the most important character in this rhetorical vision. This emotional individual involvement helps the members construct a vibrant community that is perpetuated through the group’s characters, dramas, settings, and plots. The results of this study suggest that the competitiveness and camaraderie of the ongoing drama exists in the overarching subculture of fantasy football players. ii DEDICATION In memory of my father who always showed me the importance of hard work, but never forgot how important it is to laugh. This thesis and its completion are dedicated to Christina, Mom, Elia, Amber, Zoe, Dean, Lucy, Benji, Sarah, IV, Rick, Josh, Ryan, Leslie, and Phillip. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to extend special thanks to Dr. Katz, my committee chair, for his guidance throughout this process. His patience in helping me sculpt this thesis from a forest full of ideas to a stand of trimmed trees, and his willingness to share his time and energy; I could not have accomplished this thesis without him. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Billings and Dr. Williams, for not only providing me with guidance and excellent feedback, but for also being so supportive in this endeavor. Most of all, I would like to thank the Fantasy Fairies Futbol Club for their support and endless supply of wit. They provided not only the core for my thesis, but provided comic relief during the writing process as I reread their comments. I would also like to thank my family and friends for putting up with me, but most importantly for always believing in me. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE....................................................................................................................i ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................ii DEDICATION................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..............................................................................................iv LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION TO FANTASY FOOTBALL..........................................1 1.1 Prologue: The Maurice Jones-Drew Phenomenon ............................1 1.2 What is a Fantasy Theme Analysis? ..................................................2 1.3 Why Fantasy Football Matters...........................................................4 1.4 What is Fantasy Football?..................................................................7 1.5 How to Play Fantasy Football............................................................8 1.6 Draft Format.....................................................................................11 1.7 Message Boards ...............................................................................13 1.8 Researching Fantasy Football..........................................................14 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................16 2.1 The Role of Fantasy.........................................................................16 2.2 Symbolic Convergence ....................................................................18 2.3 Rhetorical Vision .............................................................................20 2.4 Subculture ........................................................................................22 2.5 Plotlines ...........................................................................................23 2.6 Symbolic Cues and Fantasy Types ..................................................25 2.7 Conclusion .......................................................................................26 III. RESEARCH METHOD ..............................................................................27 3.1 Theoretical Framework....................................................................27 3.2 Participant/Observer Role................................................................28 v 3.3 Source Material................................................................................29 3.4 Coding..............................................................................................31 3.5 Conclusion .......................................................................................35 IV. DATA AND PLOTLINES OF THE FANTASY FAIRIES FUTBOL CLUB.....................................................................................................36 4.1 Coded Terms Mentioned in Message Boards ..................................37 4.2 Comparison of Fantasy References to Real-World References.......42 4.3 Individuals to Group References .....................................................44 4.4 Positive, Negative, and Neutral/Factual Responses toward Own Team and Other Team .....................................................................47 4.5 How the Plotlines Build the Rhetorical Vision................................50 4.7 Fire Sale ...........................................................................................51 4.6 The Curse of the Bunyip..................................................................52 4.8 The Pressures of Economy...............................................................55 4.9 The Tribunal Decides.......................................................................60 4.10 The Last Word ...............................................................................62 V. HOW FANTASY FOOTBALL MADE MY LIFE COMPETITIVE .........63 5.1 The Representation of Enthusiasm ..................................................63 5.2 Home Life Outside the Rhetorical Vision .......................................67 5.3 Workplaces as Boundaries...............................................................70 5.4 Marketing Fantasy Football as Religious Impulse...........................73 5.5 Areas for Future Study.....................................................................76 5.6 Conclusion .......................................................................................77 APPENDIX....................................................................................................................79 WORKS CITED ..........................................................................................................115 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 3.1 Coded Categories of Message Boards .........................................................31 4.1 Coded Terms Mentioned in Message Boards, Organized by Prevalence....38 4.2 Comparison of Fantasy References to Real-World References...................43 4.3 Comparison of Individuals to Group References.........................................44 4.4 Comparison of Positive, Negative, and Neutral/Factual Responses Towards Own Team and Other Teams ..................................................48 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 4.1