Defense Date

11-3-2017

Graduation Date

Fall 1-1-2017

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Communication and Rhetorical Studies

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

Erik A. Garrett

Committee Member

Janie Harden Fritz

Committee Member

Richard H. Thames

Keywords

Sport, Phenomenology, Gadamer, Merleau-Ponty, Communication, Regina, Pittsburgh, Fandom

Abstract

This project aims to uncover the phenomenological and communicative roots of sport fandom from the fan perspective, taking into account the many ways in which fans come to contact sport and integrate corresponding experiences into their own lives and sense of being in the world. Hans-Georg Gadamer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty are used to understand the conventions of play that manifest in sport, leading not only to the co-creation of the game experience due to the intertwining of spectators and players but also to the interplay of temporal realms that leads to what Gadamer calls the fusion of horizons. Through this fusion, we come to recognize difference and intertwine perspectives to craft a constructive hermeneutic approach to dialogue. Additionally, this project surveys the importance of sport for society, the ability of fandom to join people together and establish meaning, the creation of shared spaces through attachment to stadia, and the influence of sport on how we consume in the marketplace.

Language

English

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