Date of Award
5-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Legacy Department
Communication, Technology, and Society
Committee Member
Dr. Angela N. Pratt, Committee Chair
Committee Member
Dr. Stephanie Pangborn
Committee Member
Dr. Darren Linvill
Abstract
The current study aims to explore new avenues of fan studies and family communication research. Current research in both disciplines does not address in-depth how individuals become fans of certain sports teams and how family can play a role in the development of fandom. Communication scholars have explained that family legacies and stories are passed down through narratives, also known as family storytelling. Studies show that individuals come to know themselves and the world through family stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Sport is prominent in American culture, and baseball is known as America's Pastime. This phenomenological study explores how Major League Baseball fandom is inherited through family storytelling, and how older generations communicate this fandom or these stories to their offspring. Through interviews with individuals and family units, my goal was to understand how individuals articulate the experience and significance of intergenerational family fandom. This study shows that fandom and multigenerational families are interconnected.
Recommended Citation
Watts, Lauren Leigh, "It Wasn't Even a Question If I Would Be a Fan: Major League Baseball Team Fandom and Intergenerational Relationships" (2017). All Theses. 2683.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2683