Fans as e-participants? Utopia/dystopia visions for the future of digital sport fandom

Abstract

Media technologies and digital practices are reshaping and redefining the future of sport fandom. This article points to some of the utopian and dystopic transformations for fandom presented by (post)television, digital/social media and the anticipated virtual technologies of the future. Specifically, three distinct phases of fan participation are charted around existing and futuristic visions of technology-as-sport. First are the current televisual technologies that attempt to engage and retain traditionally “passive” viewers as spectators through pseudo-participatory perspectives that will carry over to new screens and technologies. Second, the assumed interactive participation afforded by social and digital media is considered, positing the future amplification of connectivity, personalisation and networking across digital fan communities, albeit undercut by further impositions of corporatisation and datafication through illusory forms of “interactivity”. Finally, the fusion, intensification and continual evolution of technology-as-sport is explored, asserting that forms of immersive participation will be significant for future virtual technologies and may ultimately re-position fans as e-participants in their own media-tech sport spectacles. Collectively, it is anticipated that the creation of new virtual worlds, spaces and experiences will amplify and operationalise forms of immersive participation around augmented spectatorship, virtual athletic replication and potentially constitute the sport itself. Indeed, a new model of the fan-as-immersed-e-participant is advanced as such futuristic virtual sporting realms may not only integrate fans into the spectacle but also project them into the event as participant and as the spectacle.

Sport and the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Structuralist Analysis of Key Themes in the UK Mass Media

“…In the sport-Covid context, these postmodern aspects are evidenced by, for example, media emphasis on televised, online, and other “virtual” forms of sport, rather than “actual” sport attendance; and, how athletes turned to e-sports due to the cancellation of “real” sport events. These insights on postmodern trends in sport media fit with other studies which highlight how fans move into other categorical roles—as producers, participants, and broadcasters—within contemporary sport (Andrews and Ritzer, 2018 ; Majumdar and Naha, 2020 ; Sturm, 2020 ). They also remind researchers of the creative possibilities and enduring value of particular social theories—such as postmodernism or structuralism—for examining contemporary transformations in social fields such as sport and the media.…”

Newly minted: Non-fungible tokens and the commodification of fandom

“…In contrast to this, collecting may be thought of as a joyful activity (Danet and Katriel, 1994;Heljakka, 2017). Whether utilitarian or joyful, collectibles represent an experience without actually being the experience (Rinehart, 1998;Sturm, 2020), positioning collecting as a consumptive activity and an expression of fandom (Giulianotti and Klauser, 2012;Sturm, 2020). The relevance of these descriptions is at the core of NBA Top Shot, which is dependent upon ownership and positioned on its website as a place for collecting.…”

“…NBA Top Shot participants gain feelings of community and solidarity in an environment where people share stories and advice, talk about basketball, seek answers, and sometimes show off. It is this feeling of solidarity, in addition to the possibility of financial gains, the joy that can be found in collecting (Danet and Katriel, 1994;Heljakka, 2017), and the ability to make sense of oneself through consumptive acts and expression of fandom (Giulianotti and Klauser, 2012;Sturm, 2020) that serve as primary appeals for the NBA Top Shot user. These discussions reflect a danger and decay espoused by Strange and Waston (1986), who reflects seriously upon the reality of a casino-like approach to financial investment wherein those who participate, as well as those who do not, are impacted.…”

Technology and digital transformation for the structural reform of the sports industry: Building the roadmap

“…[9][10][11][12] Numerous papers analyse how these digital tools impact the efficiency of sports organisations and their organisational structure. [13][14][15] And others are investigating how this technology and the data analysis it collects can be useful for improving players' physical and tactical performance, [16][17][18][19][20][21][22] the fan, athlete or student experience, 7,[23][24][25][26] or injury prevention and reduction. [27][28][29][30][31][32] Many of these analyses focus on showing the benefits of technology in competitive sports, in large and complex organisations and in large stadiums (arenas).…”