(Sorry mods, I hope I can let this slide on the board--it still being preseason and all) Hey everyone, looking for a little help and introducing myself. I'm Jeff, a junior at James Madison U. in Harrisonburg, VA and it's that time for us Soc/Anth majors--senior thesis time! Part of my research is going to involve interacting and interviewing fans of DC United (from the hard-core supporters to the mini-driving moms) and analyzing this with previous research conducted on globalization and nationalism in sports/soccer in the U.S. I'm interested in this for a number of reasons: one, I am a DC United fan and can't think of a better place to spend my research two, as many of you know, MLS is a pretty unique league in the sports landscape. I'm looking at a number of issues, like the "Americanization" of the world's game, the "single-entity" business concept, and the diversity of the league's fans--who come in all shapes and sizes, from all different backgrounds for the love of the game. I also want part of my research to be solely on the fans themselves as a "subculture". We have our rituals, our own fashion, and as "postmodern" fans, we like to get on message boards and think we should be running hte team. In other words, I just want to observe and participate your normal activiites. So you know, any interviewing would be conducted pre and/or post game. My reason for posting this here, is so I can get some feedback from you and get in touch with the heads of the supporters groups to ask if this going to be OK. Please PM me or reply here with any help, questions, suggestions or comments. Most of all, I look forward to meeting many of you who post here on the board. If school (and a scheduled field trip) cooperates, I hope to introduce myself face to face in Richmond on the 5th. Thanks for your time, Jeff
A thesis on DC United. Wow. Actually, I know a guy a Harvard who did his thesis on Weezer. He contacted the band's webmaster who used the website's e-mailing list to send out a survey my friend designed to all the list members. I don't know how well that would work for you, but I imagine if you contacted DC's office they coudl probably help you out in a similar fashion.
Yeah, man. To hang out with the Barra Brava, you just have to be willing to wear a loincloth, eat beetle larvae, drink fermented kudzu vine water, and run a gauntlet of paddle wielding CSC thugs. The SEs and La Norte have their own initiation rituals. Just kidding, of course, except the bit about the CSC. Good to hear someone thinks DCU supporters have "culture."
I've discovered an unknown tribal group living on the banks of the Anacostia river! Is this loincloth going to be available on the dcunited on-line store anytime soon?? Thanks everyone
Well at least it's a senior thesis rather than a PhD dissertation. It never ceases to amaze the things that pass for science on the "social" side of things. <running and ducking>
Quiet Beast------ Amazing what counts as study at colleges today! Conducting research of who attends soccer games and their cultural identity and "...analyzing this with previous research conducted on globalization and nationalism in sports/soccer in the U.S." Wow...Mods ...sounds like trolling to me! Come on....Shakespeare too boring? How about world history? U.S. history? Analyzing "subculture" of soccer? What course is this study associated? You know, when I hear about such asinine thesis statements, I feel sorry for the parents who spend such hard-earned money on such a waste of what is only loosly termed education! Quiet Beast: I can tell you what you need to know without such an asinine study: soccer players and fans are fanatics! Now go back to the college library and read a book! You know.... the small things made of paper that contain facts! Inthenet
you jacka$$. Anyway, Quite Beast.. get ready for the richmond match, we have a new song and banner to unveil.
Wow. Just by reading your team line, tells me you're a dick. Rock on, Quiet. You're an inspiration to us all.
Fair enough Richbon and In the net, I can certainly understand that this seems asinine. But from my experience, every subject you learn in college is asinine [But you're absolutely right about thing--I also feel bad for my parents ] To answer some of your questions: I am a double major, Anthropology (simplified: study of humans) and Sociology (study of human behavior). The senior thesis is 6 elective credits, not affiliated with any course but done individually with the guidance of professors familiar with the Sociology of Sport--yes, such a thing does exist. I'm really excited about this. I've read some of those "books" you mention that are over in the library, but it's time for me to get out there and contribute something of my own. Personally, I find American soccer fans extremely interesting. Look around Barra Brava, Screaming Eagles, Choir, La Norte (let's leave those militant soccer moms out of this for a second) and you see a lot of different types of people who've come together--it's a real melting pot, salad bowl, whatever you want to call it. I want to get to know you all, know some of your stories... and if I happen to do all this while watching DC win the treble (I can dream can't I ) then lucky me. Thanks everyone for the comments (and thank you mods--I'm not a troll!) if anyone wants to know more about this feel free to email me at colshjc@jmu.edu
IntheNet first off we don't need any fans that only support the team when things are going well, saying you are DC United fan if they do better, for shame. Secondly there is much to learn about society from studying the subcultures. Since you suggested going to the library and reading you might want to get off your high horse for a bit and check out "Among the Thugs" by Bill Buford a serious look at English hooligans and for entertainment give "Fever Ptich" by Nick Hornby a read. Under no circumstances should any soccer fan rent the movie by the same name.
Beast, if you need assistance, Darth is your hookup. Don't listen to InTheNet; his usertext makes him suspect in my eyes. It's about time we fanatics got the cultural props we deserve.
great idea Kudos from a JMU Alum (1998), an interesting topic. My guess is that DCU or MLS has already done some sort of marketing survey so you may not have to start from scratch. Since economics envelopes all the social sciences, you may also want to look at some sports economics literature. I'm a PHD econ student at Univ of Florida and the guy down here for sports econ is Roger Blair. You could check out his CV and see where he's publishing. He also teaches a sports econ course (no idea what book he uses). He has mentioned something about the single entity structure being the "ideal" business model but I'm not sure if he's published anything. I think my library resources at UF are better than JMU's. If you think I can get something you can't, let me know and I'll get it for you. Anything for a fellow duke. Kevin C.
I second those kudos from another JMU Alum (1992). You've got competition, sir. I have a good friend who is a sociology major and is doing his thesis on hooliganism in football. Since he's a Man United fan, it's mainly going to be based on English football. I directed him first to "Among the Thugs" (referenced in a post above) to give him a perspective on things. He's off and running on the topic right now.
Cool thesis topic! On a slightly related note, I thought I read (albeit by someone on these boards) that "Among the Thugs" was debunked by many as myth/fiction. I may be wrong, but I'd check into that if I was using it as a major source for a thesis. good luck!
The book UF uses for Sports Economics is "The Economics of Sports" (The Addison-Wesley Series in Economics) by Michael A. Leeds Peter Von Allmen
I would think key text for this research would be Offside: Soccer and American Exceptionalism by Markovits and Hellerman. A substantial scholarly look at why soccer did not become the dominant sport in the US. Pretty interesting. Ever since I was a teenager and one of my coaches pointed out that Africans play a different brand of soccer than the English and that its related to weather, I have been fascinated by this sort of thing. More the on-field than the fans really. Another good book is Brilliant Orange. It explores why the Dutch are so good, but can't quite win the big one. Seems its more complicated than just legal hash bars..... who knew.
i love brilliant orange but it isn't a particularly "academic" text on the phenomena you are studying. the site below has a ton of links to academic journal articles. these are not likely to be as fun (or even as informative) as books like brilliant orange or among the thugs, but much more likely to be useful in a thesis, at least according to academic norms. http://www.people.ku.edu/~boroboy/futbolero/links.html
A good read that would be informative as well is the book "Twenty-Two Foreigners in Funny Shorts" by Pete Davies. It's about lots of leagues, (mostly 3rd Div., but others, too,) and the run-up to World Cup '94 and includes lots of WC History. A great insight into how fans identify with their teams ups and downs. Hope it helps
Lots of great suggestions everyone (including my fellow Dukes), good stuff--from sports econ to novels!! And that's a really great link R&B, thanks. By the way, everyone I talk to keeps suggesting books like "Among the Thugs". What are you all trying to say about yourselves Honestly, more than half of the sociological books I've come across in my searches at the library concern fan violence. Of course there's no mention of MLS in any of these books (mostly UK studies) but I get the feeling violence is a common perception ( or myth) Americans have about all soccer fans, including MLS. Yet, as I think back to last season, the only violence I remember reading about on these boards involved the CSC... Anyways, sorry for the babble and thanks again. Maybe I'll see some of you Saturday night
Violence related to soccer is a hot topic because no one quite understands it. Most people involved are relatively sane (not the hard core) but get them to soccer games and they go insane. Look at the difference in US sports where for the most part, opposing fans can enter a stadium and not face collective violence. Violence in US sports tends to be outside a sports venue and related more to rioting after a result or individual violence within stadia. Most soccer violence tended to be collective and take place inside or directly outside stadia and directed at opposition fans. (Milwall rampages aside). And yes, a lot of people on these boards seem to identify with the Hooligan element without realizing (I hope) what that means. Hooligans are people that roam in packs looking for opposition fans to pummel before, during, and after games. They are the kind of people that "if you don't get the result on the pitch, get it with your fists." No one I've met from these boards fits into that category.