Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Football fandom’s commercialization context cannot be denied nowadays. Consequently, fandom and loyalty to “the team” can be defined via consumption. According to this, fan consumption behavior motivated by symbolic meanings instead of rationality. This is mostly because fans contain their team and related possessions while defining their selves, which can be explained via Extended Self Theory of Belk (1988). Accordingly, selves may be extended covering the possessions. There are three forms of commercialization within the football-fandom context: licensed products, match-ticket consumption and sponsorship. The most self relevant one is licensed products. Self-possession relation is especially true for big football teams, since fans can easily reach licensed products. For local football teams that, there is a lack of commercialized team products, this relation is a bit more complex. In this case fan groups produce their own products, which are not considered within the standard market interaction. Therefore the relation of self and this form of commercialization is worth to evaluate. In this study, Ankaragücü (football club in Turkey’s minor league) fans’ behavior within the consumption and extended-self framework is examined. For this issue, nine semi-structured interviews are held. Moreover, Ankaragücü’s biggest fan group Gecekondu’s social media accounts are analyzed via discourse analysis. For this issue, the Miles and Huberman (1984)’s technique is applied. Fandom-identity relation occurs within two dimensions: “being from Ankara” and “being powerful.” The relation of these dimensions with consumption is; keeping the other team fans/licensed products out from the team’s sacred places and highlighting the fan groups’ products.