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The paradoxes of football spectatorship: on field and on line expressions of social capital among the 'Grog Squad'

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 01:16 authored by Palmer, C, Thompson, K
In this article we examine the cultural practices of a group of South Australian football supporters known as the “Grog Squad.” While hard drinking is undeniably a central part of this group of exclusively male fans, being a “Groggie” is much more than just being in a boozy boys club. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork undertaken throughout the 2005 South Australian football season, as well as Internet research, we argue that the style of support engaged in by the Grog Squad represents a paradox for how we typically understand football fans. On the one hand, much of the language and behavior of the Grog Squad is characteristic of the aggressive masculinity common in male contact sports. On the other, being a Groggie provides access to a range of resources, benefits, networks, and supports that confound many of the popular assumptions about male social relationships in sport. To explain the arrant sexism and homophobia of the Grog Squad simply in terms of hegemonic masculinity is to obscure the very real social supports and connections (best described as social capital) that are often overlooked in studies of male sports fans.

History

Publication title

Sociology of Sport Journal

Volume

24

Issue

2 June

Pagination

187-205

ISSN

0741-1235

Department/School

School of Social Sciences

Publisher

Human Kinetics Publ Inc

Place of publication

1607 N Market St, Champaign, USA, Il, 61820-2200

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Organised sports

Usage metrics

    University Of Tasmania

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