ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author argues that the active agents within football culture, particularly the self-identified traditional fans, operate to control the boundaries of the culture in a way that speaks to their self-interest, denying consumer fans’ subjectivity. To develop a more nuanced understanding of modern football culture, he shows that it is vital to challenge the aura associated with traditional football culture, giving consumer fans an opportunity to articulate their fan identity and engage in negotiation with the discourses operating on them within the culture. While the behavior of the participants was occasionally reprehensible it has to be recognized that the motivations underpinning expressions relate to the participants’ fan identity or, importantly, their expectations of how to enact and articulate their fandom identity. The author also argues that participants provide significant insight into the participants’ fan identity and their understanding of the discourses surrounding the culture, the game’s capitalism and tradition.
