Book Description:
The culture of the soccer terrace is changing. Commentators are now as likely to refer to the carnival or 'party' atmosphere at football matches as violence and disorder. This does not mean that 'football hooliganism' as the media labelled it for the last 30 years has somehow disappeared. It is manifestly on the rise in countries such as Italy and Holland, and especially in Germany where it has ugly associations with the neo Nazi right; it may be marginalized in countries like Scotland, and more lately England, but public disorder around professional football has deep historical roots in such heavily masculinized national cultures. Nevertheless, the football crowd and moreover, football fandom in general is undergoing significant change which reflect wider shifts in gender, popular culture, modernity and post modernity. On the one hand there is a greater degree of active participation, and even democratization, amongst fans. This process is evident in the increase of numbers of women in football, the rise of independent supporters organizations, fan magazines (fanzines), the increasing role for football in other art forms (music, theatre, video, film, television) and the mixing of football as low, or pop, culture with 'high' arts such as opera and classical music. A contradictory process is also detectable however; the redefinition of football for a passive, 'respectable' audience sitting in either executive boxes, all seater stadia or in armchairs at home watching the game on tv. The 1994 World Cup to be held in the land of the mediascape, the USA, will hasten such change in European football culture which itself is hurtling towards continent wide Super Leagues controlled by international media moguls.
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