TheFinnFan
Finners
im reading this book right now, got it from my pops (written by Harri Heinonen, 2005)
(short) SUMMARY
In Finland sports and following sports have strongly influenced the national culture and identity. Sports is an important bonding element in the identity. Sport means competition about something that is symbolically important: the self esteem and dignity of a whole nation may dependon it - we are nothing if the buck misses the net or the skis do not glide.
Finns are keen on football but they rather sit in front of TV-sets and watch English League Football in their living rooms than in an open-air spectator stand. Following English football has a long tradition in Finland. It has been a pools object in Finland since the 1940`s, and it has been shown on Finnish TV since the 1960`s. The tradition of football fandom has also been transferredand filtered from the culture to another. This makes the fandom of the English League Clubs an interesting phenomenon. Although following football takes place almost completely via media, it, however, produces strong fandom and supporter identities.
This study traces the enthusiasm and commitment connected with football fandom. It introduces Finnish Everton supporters, whose fandom is focused on following and supporting Everton, an English football team.
Everton fandom is about an extremely highly charged and emotional relationship. It has become an individual life strategy project for the fans, who are looking for new forms of attaching themselves to society and culture. Devotion toa certain activity increases one`s ability to act in general: if you devote yourself to something that is significant for you, you are able to devote yourself to other things as well. In today`s stop-go and hectic modernity in which nothing seems to stop still , the bonds of communal spirit are dissolved, and everything feels like "Teflon" and difficult to comprehend, modern culture makes all of us fans, individuals who are able to vary between different kinds of fandoms and identity stories. The relationship with the objectof the fandom reveals important matters of the fans world of experiences.
Passionate commitment and devotion to an activity that creates pleasure gives colour to our lives and makes our everyday life fascinating and pleasant. The intensity of activitieslike fandom may vary but an importand feature of fandom is that being involved in the activities is necessary as the meaning of one`s life.
(short) SUMMARY
In Finland sports and following sports have strongly influenced the national culture and identity. Sports is an important bonding element in the identity. Sport means competition about something that is symbolically important: the self esteem and dignity of a whole nation may dependon it - we are nothing if the buck misses the net or the skis do not glide.
Finns are keen on football but they rather sit in front of TV-sets and watch English League Football in their living rooms than in an open-air spectator stand. Following English football has a long tradition in Finland. It has been a pools object in Finland since the 1940`s, and it has been shown on Finnish TV since the 1960`s. The tradition of football fandom has also been transferredand filtered from the culture to another. This makes the fandom of the English League Clubs an interesting phenomenon. Although following football takes place almost completely via media, it, however, produces strong fandom and supporter identities.
This study traces the enthusiasm and commitment connected with football fandom. It introduces Finnish Everton supporters, whose fandom is focused on following and supporting Everton, an English football team.
Everton fandom is about an extremely highly charged and emotional relationship. It has become an individual life strategy project for the fans, who are looking for new forms of attaching themselves to society and culture. Devotion toa certain activity increases one`s ability to act in general: if you devote yourself to something that is significant for you, you are able to devote yourself to other things as well. In today`s stop-go and hectic modernity in which nothing seems to stop still , the bonds of communal spirit are dissolved, and everything feels like "Teflon" and difficult to comprehend, modern culture makes all of us fans, individuals who are able to vary between different kinds of fandoms and identity stories. The relationship with the objectof the fandom reveals important matters of the fans world of experiences.
Passionate commitment and devotion to an activity that creates pleasure gives colour to our lives and makes our everyday life fascinating and pleasant. The intensity of activitieslike fandom may vary but an importand feature of fandom is that being involved in the activities is necessary as the meaning of one`s life.
