The Feminization of Sports Fandom

‘When former footballer player Alan Hudson titled his autobiography ‘The Working Man’s Ballet’, he interestingly challenged long-held intellectual prejudices that exclude sports from being regarded as akin to other forms of culture. But in prompting this reconsideration, his title highlighted the gendered history of association football (soccer) in which its appreciative audience is presumed to be constituted only of men. Stacey Pope’s ground-breaking scholarship attempts to ‘settle the account’ of this history by giving women their voice as fans, which has been largely neglected and, therefore, effectively silenced. Importantly, her approach, drawing on theories of intersectionality, examines female fandom in regard to the interrelations of gender, class, sexuality and regional identity. The Feminization of Sports Fandom is a book of interest not only to the academic field of sports studies, but also to scholars and students in areas such as sociology, cultural studies and the history of popular culture.’ – John Hughson, Professor of Sport and Cultural Studies and Director of the International Football Institute, University of Central Lancashire, UK

'Stacey Pope’s groundbreaking monograph, The Feminization of Sports Fandom, is a timely contribution, and provides an important and valuable extension to our understanding of fandom ... Its accessible format and interdisciplinary approach – foci on gender inequality, sport’s class divide and the impact of globalization on professional sport – mean that it will be of significant interest to social scientists, particularly those with an interest in gender studies.' - Rory Magrath, Southampton Solent University, International Review for the Sociology of Sport

'This book provides an extensive socio-historical exploration of female sports fans and fills a gap in the area of fan research. The book is relevant for scholars and students alike. Pope has provided ideas which it is hoped will be tested and extended and build upon this excellent piece of research.' - Alex Colvin, University of Central Lancashire, Leisure Studies