Professional football is one of the most popular television 'genres' worldwide, attracting the support of millions of fans, and the sponsorship of powerful companies. In A Game of Two Halves, Cornel Sandvoss considers relationship with television, its links with transnational capitalism, and the importance of football fandom in forming social and cultural identities around the globe, to present the phenomenon of football as a reflection postmodern culture and globalization.Through a series of case studies, based in ethnographic audience research, Cornel Sandvoss explores the motivations and...

In Fans: The Mirror of Consumption Cornel Sandvoss explores the social, cultural, and psychological premises and consequences of fan consumption. The scope of the book is impressive - he looks not just at the nature and development of whole fan cultures, but also focuses on the experience and identity of the individual fan. In addition, the book proposes a new perspective on fans and popular culture, arguing that the modern self is reflected and constituted through media consumption.
In developing his account, Sandvoss draws on theoretical ideas in an original yet accessible way, and uses...

In Fans: The Mirror of Consumption Cornel Sandvoss explores the social, cultural, and psychological premises and consequences of fan consumption. The scope of the book is impressive - he looks not just at the nature and development of whole fan cultures, but also focuses on the experience and identity of the individual fan. In addition, the book proposes a new perspective on fans and popular culture, arguing that the modern self is reflected and constituted through media consumption.

In developing his account, Sandvoss draws on theoretical ideas in an original yet accessible...

We are all fans. Whether we log on to Web sites to scrutinize the latest plot turns in Lost, -stalk- our favorite celebrities on Gawker, attend gaming conventions, or simply wait with bated breath for the newest Harry Potter novel--each of us is a fan. Fandom extends beyond television and film to literature, opera, sports, and pop music, and encompasses both high and low culture.

Fandom brings together leading scholars to examine fans, their practices, and their favorite texts. This unparalleled selection of original essays examines instances across the...