Home Institution
Washington University in Saint Louis
Publication Date
Fall 2016
Abstract
This project unravels the various reasons why black African men have such a strong attachment to English football teams belonging to the English Premier League. It works to find the answer to the hypothesis, which states that black African men exhibit greater fan support for English football teams and neglect the support of the local African teams.
Eight black African men from East, West, Southern, and Central Africa, describe the manifestation of their soccer fandom for the English team they support as well as their favorite local African club team. Based on the observations gathered through participant observations and interviews, five conclusions can be deduced.
The conclusions are as follows: 1) English football fandom is attributed to electronic colonialism, 2) African football fandom is familial, 3) there is a difference between identifying with a team and having a team as part of one’s identity, 4) African football is not neglected by fans, but by players and football governing bodies, and 5) Africans still care about African football through the influence of Pan-Africanism.
Disciplines
African Studies | Leisure Studies | Politics and Social Change | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Sociology of Culture | Sports Studies
Recommended Citation
Mungai, Eddie, "Do Africans support English football teams and neglect local African teams: an interrogation of eight black African men in Cape Town" (2016). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2436.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2436
Included in
African Studies Commons, Leisure Studies Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Sports Studies Commons
Program Name
South Africa: Multiculturalism and Human Rights