Fanatical football chants: Creating and controlling the carnival

Social inclusion through football fandom: opportunities for learning-disabled people

“…The simple act of clapping emerged as a popular alternative for learning-disabled fans to become part of the luminal events that drew fans together in a sense of shared space. 62 As much of the football fan literature highlights the decline or sterilization of atmosphere in British football stadia, 63 so too did some of the learning-disabled fans involved in this work. Although travelling to away matches appeared to offer a solution to this problem because 'everybody seems more up for away games' (Joe), these benefits were limited to learning-disabled people with the capabilities to attend away matches.…”

Football talk: sociological reflections on the dialectics of language and football

“…This is challenged by the chants and songs of the opposition 'away' fans. The mutual choreography of these linguistic expressions is central to the 'atmosphere' (or lack of it) at matches (see Armstrong and Young, 2000).…”

Sport Spectators and the Social Consequences of Commodification

“…Strikingly, some supporters express their opposition in terms that are closely congruent to the critical analyses of some sociologists (see, for example, Armstrong & Young, 1999;Critcher, 1979;Giulianotti, 1999Giulianotti, , 2002Taylor, 1971b;Wagg, 2004). The most direct and recurring critique concerns the business-focused introduction of the terms "customer"…”