Abstract
Fans of Local Pro Wrestling share features with fans of traditional sports as well as fans of other media narratives. This essay traces the history of wrestling as an institution and the economics of local pro wrestling (structured according to the principles of a “periodic market”). Then, we locate the psychodynamics of the fan communities of local wrestling in the interplay of cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of fan identity. Fans of local pro wrestling assume a complex perspective on the object of their fandom: cognitively, they understand that pro wrestling is entertainment with a predetermined end, but along the affective and behavioral dimensions, they become invested in a spectacle that they know is artificial. This psychodynamic is sustained both (a) by the meeting of fans at matches and (b) the meetings of the fans online between matches. The psychodynamic of the local pro wrestling fan is unique among all sports and media fan communities and is sustained by the peculiar communities of fans that coalesce around local pro wrestling.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Sports Fans, Identity, and Socialization |
| Subtitle of host publication | Exploring the Fandemonium |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. |
| Pages | 25-36 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781978772502 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780739146231 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2012 by Lexington Books. All rights reserved.
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