The Football and Society Podcast The Football and Society Podcast

In Turkish society today, women have become more and more invisible under the rule of President Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party, illustrated by the absence of female supporters in Turkish football stadiums. This has not always been the case, however, as a recent article in the Soccer and Society journal highlighted. Sezen Kayhan’s study focuses on a group of female supporters, the Purple Violets, who follow Orduspor, a team based in the city of Ordu on the Black Sea.

In the 1970s, the Purple Violets grew in numbers to such an extent that the club decided to reserve a special place in the stadium just for them, known as the ‘women’s bleacher’. Sezen notes that football was not only very popular but was the ‘pioneer social activity’ for women in the city of Ordu in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, however, the group has lost its enthusiasm and stopped going to games, due chiefly to the commercialization of football, the impact of political polarisation in Turkey on football fandom, and government policies strongly discouraging women’s presence in public spaces; the latter has manifested itself in sexist chants and attacks on female supporters. Furthermore, the existence of Orduspor is itself under threat, after the local pro-government municipality formed a new team and forced Orduspor out of its stadium, which has now been demolished.



***

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow us on social media at ⁠twitter.com/footballsocpod⁠ and leave us a five star review - it helps others discover the show!

After the backlash in response to plans for a European Super League, and numerous protests targeting the wealthy owners of clubs such as Everton recently, it seems that big business and football fandom are increasingly at odds with one another. However, a recent study has revealed that some football clubs are hiring branding experts, in order to straddle this divide and appease supporters who might otherwise react negatively to rebranding exercises.

Dr Alison Barnes studied the ways in which several European clubs have attempted to redesign what she calls their ‘visual identity system’. In an article published in Soccer & Society last year, Alison notes that these attempts have had varying success. Fans of Everton, for example, objected strongly to a new crest design and forced the club to engage in a collaborative design process that involved the fans. On the other hand, Juventus have gone through with a dramatic change to their crest, one initiative among many including the creation of a special ‘J-Hotel’ designed to propel the club to the international stage and attract supporters from all over the globe, including people who have never engaged with football before.

Whilst clubs like Juventus are moving beyond the traditional fanbase and adopting a model more typical of multinational companies like Nike and Adidas, the relationship between club crests and football fans is more complicated than the typical relationship between brand and consumer.

Today we explore:


How has social media influenced rebrands?
What can help a rebrand succeed, and what are the pitfalls to avoid?
Are the actions and views of supporters who resist branding a form of counter-narrative?

…all this and more in our latest episode.

***

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow us on social media at twitter.com/footballsocpod and leave us a five star review - it helps others discover the show!

Matchday atmospheres are often the subject of taunts from rival fans, as supporters of Manchester City and Arsenal will know; a lack of chanting and other expressions of support is associated with a lack of passion and enthusiasm for the game, at odds with English football’s world-renowned reputation for vibrant atmospheres. 

A recent study examined a perceived deficit in vocal support among supporters of the Chilean national team, an issue that has drawn criticism from players and fans alike. 

Luis Achondo, in an article published in Soccer and Society, looked at the controversy surrounding recent fixtures including Chile’s games at the 2015 Copa America, which Chile hosted. Fans were criticised by players for the lack of vocal support, with Alexis Sánchez complaining: ‘it seems that we’re not playing in Chile’. Luis highlights how hinchas - a term denoting the fanatical supporters who ‘foster community bonds, denounce their deprived social conditions, and accrue honour and prestige’ through ‘drumming, whistling, launching pyrotechnics, and vocalizing chants’ - are few in attendance at national team matches.

 These supporters, he argues, have been priced and bullied out of the game deliberately by the authorities and police, who view the hinchas as unwelcome deviants bringing the game into disrepute. This represents ‘the silencing and exclusion of those who are incompatible with the silent modes of citizenship and consumption favoured by the Chilean neoliberal model’, since the ‘ideal liberal democratic subject has been understood as a citizen who not only engages in quiet modes of democratic citizenship but also in silent modes of consumption’.

Today we explore:


How are Chile's football authorities trying to change fan culture in the country?
What parallels might there be with the Premier League?
Are the changes in football fandom in Chile being reflected in changing demographics among the players on the pitch?

...all this and more in our latest episode

***

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow us on social media at twitter.com/footballsocpod and leave us a five star review - it helps others discover the show!

In this episode, we’re looking at the growth of ‘football tourism’ in the English Premier League.

Between 2008 and 2017, companies in the tourism sector became the number one investors in sponsorship spending in the English, Italian, Spanish, and German top divisions. This rising interest among such companies, and the consequences for the matchday experience in the English Premier League, was the primary focus of an article exploring the rise of so-called ‘football tourism’ in the UK.

While many studies have focussed on the growing financial investment in football over the past three decades, few have looked at the growth of football tourism and the increasing interest from the tourism sector in providing holiday packages centred around a football experience. In an article published in the Soccer and Society journal earlier this year, Felipe Tobar and Gregory Ramshaw found that football tourism is a key part of attracting overseas markets and thereby contributing to the UK economy. The agency VisitBritain, for example, now has a dedicated EPL section on its website, where visitors from 58 countries can buy tickets for matches and stadium tours. However, the article also highlights allegations of gentrification within football stadiums, with some local supporters claiming they are less valued by their clubs than visitors coming from overseas to sample the matchday experience. The authors argue that the burgeoning phenomenon of football tourism merits greater attention, in particular the threats it may pose to the cultural preservation of clubs’ local character.

Today we explore:


To what extent is a rise in tourists altering the character of English clubs?
How has Visit Britain played a pivotal role in the touristification of the Premier League?
Are other leagues experiencing the same rise in tourism, and may there be a backlash?

...all this and more in our latest episode

***

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow us on social media at twitter.com/footballsocpod and leave us a five star review - it helps others discover the show!

This week, we’re looking at the political and economic issues concerning a controversial chant used by Mexican football fans. 

During the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Mexican Soccer Federation was fined $10,000 after fans of the national team used the term ‘¡puto!’ to address opposition players in their opening game. The term is widely considered to have homophobic connotations, but a recent study by today's guests - Marie Sarita Gaytán and Matthew Basso - argues that ‘puto’ has layered meanings, which are evident in its employment by Mexican football fans.

Sarita and Matthew argue that a more nuanced analysis is required when discussing this controversial chant. While they recognise that ‘The macho remains a recognizable trope of Mexican manhood’, representing virility and domination over women and homosexuals, the ‘hegemonic image and stereotypical associations… do not necessarily align with men’s sense of identity’, especially Mexican working-class men who are negotiating ‘their sense of masculinity via a range of life experiences’.


How is machismo evolving?
Are soccer's governing bodies sitting on their hands when it comes to addressing hate speech? 
To what extent has Argentinian football culture influenced Mexican soccer culture?

...all this and more in our latest episode

***

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow us on social media at twitter.com/footballsocpod and leave us a five star review - it helps others discover the show!

Accounts of violence in Argentinian football run all the way back to the late 19th century, and violence still plagues domestic football today. In a study exploring the predominance of such violent behaviour, William Huddleston writes that ‘Violence has always gone hand in hand with football in Argentina’.

Today William joins us to discuss his study exploring chants sung by fans of River Plate, one of the most storied clubs in South America. 

Whilst violence in football is not unique to Argentina, the scale of the problem there is quite astounding: between 5 and 10 people have died from football-related violence every year for the last 25 years, with an average of 9 deaths a year over the past decade. Despite this, there is little understanding of the phenomenon in popular discourse. William’s research drew on over 250 River Plate chants and identified some recurring themes and concepts, with a particular focus on violence, honour, and masculinity. He writes that ‘supporters’ chants reflect and confect a hegemonic form of masculinity which encourages and rewards violence, the acceptance of pain and the forceful emasculation of other men’.


To what extent have players themselves, or the clubs they represent and that are idolised by fans, sought to de-escalate violence?
Is football violence over-studied?
What is the model of club ownership in Argentina to what extent do club owners have any relationship with those fans involved in violence?

...all this and more in our latest episode

***

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow us on social media at twitter.com/footballsocpod and leave us a five star review - it helps others discover the show!