Erin C. Tarver (2017), The I in Team: Sports Fandom and the Reproduction of Identity

Abstract

Whether one enjoys it or not, sport is an important and prevalent part of human culture. In this book, Tarver turns her critical gaze to the hitherto underexplored area of sports fandom. The claim which Tarver stresses from the outset is that fandom is a normative practice which decrees how one ought to act: 'If you want to be a fan for this team, you must do x .' It is this claim which gives the text its urgency and importance, as it allows Tarver to identify and condemn the white, masculine, heteronormative standards which she compellingly argues determine contemporary fandom in the United States.