How football fans perceive sports heroes – The case of Israel

Abstract

Background: Hero-making and hero-worship are common in human society. Yet despite the universal appeal of heroes, the features attributed to these figures and the attitudes toward them change depending upon the circumstances. Heroes have been the topic of extensive discussion in the academic literature. Nevertheless, little research attention has been directed at sports heroes. Examining soccer heroes is of special importance, particularly in view of soccer’s popularity across the globe and the celebrity status of top soccer stars. Purpose: The objective of this paper is to examine and map the defining features of soccer heroes as subjectively perceived by their fans. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study that entailed semi-structured interviews with 18 young Israeli soccer fans as well as content analysis of fan chants. Results: The research findings indicate that fans attribute special importance to three main characteristics that are not perceived as dominant among heroes in other contexts: loyalty to team and family, modesty and morality, and the ability to influence their surroundings. Based on the findings, the paper discusses the unique nature of soccer heroes in contrast to other elite players and the role played by these heroes for their fans.

Online sports fans communities: humor, trivial knowledge, and anti-modern tendencies

“…According to Broughton (7), social media can fuel rivalries between fans of different teams. This is also apparent in the Israeli context, in which football fans maintain violent online discourse (8). The reason is that sports fandom requires dichotomic affiliations, and each team has its colors, history, symbols, players, and staff (9).…”

From legends to legacy: the impact of fan influence on retiring athletes in premier league basketball

“…In addition to encouragement and support, fandom practices may also manifest as violent behavior and badgering players and rival fans (Duncan, 2019). At the same time, fans might lavish compliments on certain players and mark players as heroes based on their traits and behaviors (Levental and Nudelman, 2021). Thus, the audience does not serve merely as a backdrop to players' performances, but actually affects diverse elements and actions that occur in the competition sphere, at both the group level (Unkelbach and Memmert, 2010) and the individual level (Marmo, 2012).…”

“…In contrast to those fans who express derision, as described above, others will express positive feelings for older players, whom they consider part of the team and whom they undoubtedly associate with the team's history. For these fans, players are viewed as the soldiers who battle on behalf of the team and its fans, and many times become heroes (Levental and Nudelman, 2021). Although both types of response are driven by a recognition of a player's older age, this recognition is expressed differently in both cases.…”

“…It is important to note that while this type of relationship applies to all players, attitudes to older players change and manifest in ways that do not emerge with respect to younger players. Experienced basketball players sometimes become figures with whom fans love to identify, and frequently become a symbol that connects the team to its audience and to the media (Levental and Nudelman, 2021). In his interview, Shlomi, a 34-year-old basketball player focused on a description of the informal rewards that players might receive during their career: I would go to entertainment spots…that respect you, if you can call it that….…”