People have been part of fandoms for years, finding a sense of community in shared interests. However, these ‘havens’ are not safe from public ridicule, and women know that best.
Screaming, cheering, and a little infighting all come with the territory of being a fan of anything. As someone who is part of both football and music fanbases, I have seen how patriarchy can make fandoms, especially on Twitter and other social media sites, hellish.
When people think of fandoms, the concept of ‘fangirling’ often comes to mind, conjuring images of hysterical women and massive crowds. These visuals can be accurate, but the hysterics and crowds are not exclusive to female fanbases and are a huge part of male fan culture too.
I come from a very big football loving family, with weekends spent watching Arsenal, Pirates, or Barcelona games, and I am no stranger to the highs and lows of football fan spaces. As a part of many online football spaces, I have seen the celebrations and conflicts that take place when teams win or lose and the vitriol that even players can face, and this is a much less discussed aspect of fan culture.
Football fandoms have historically been heavily male-dominated. The perception of men as reasonable and logical has managed to shield them from the criticism that has plagued women in more female-dominated fandoms like music and pop culture.
At the recent Copa America final, Argentina vs Colombia fans caused chaos by storming Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium before kick-off. Huge crowds of ticketless fans attempted to enter the stadium and had to be forcibly removed from the premises, while others climbed into the stadium’s vents to try to gain entry. These fans fought the police and destroyed the stadium’s escalators. This type of behaviour from sports fans is usually described as ‘passionate’ and ‘dedicated’ instead of ‘rabid’ and ‘crazy’ in the way female fans’ behaviours tend to be considered.
A perfect example is the perception of fans of the K-pop group, BTS, who are known for being committed to and protective over the group. As a member of this fandom, I have often seen the ridicule that fans face for collecting albums, or attending BTS events, with many being considered ‘shallow’ and ‘irrational’.
BTS has sold out stadiums like Wembley and the Rose Bowl and has never had issues with fans fighting or destroying property, instead, BTS fans tend to organise care packages and goodie bags for fellow fans whenever they attend these events, and they have even helped to clean up after shows. Despite this, only one of these groups is seen as ‘wild’ and it is not the sports fans.
These perceptions are just some of the many that position women’s interests and their enthusiasm as obsessive and childish while men are just viewed as excitable. To me, this indicates a bigger societal issue of misogyny, which reinforces gender stereotypes that harm women and validate men.
While these examples showcase the most extreme on either end, it is obvious that there may be obsessive female fans and more temperate male fans, which is exactly why it is important to avoid generalising these topics as this can easily spread harmful rhetoric.
Overall, many fan activities are similar across different fields: baseball fans collect player cards, and K-pop fans collect photocards. Basketball fans collect signed jerseys, and hip-hop fans collect signed albums. Football fans paint their faces, and pop fans wear costumes. I have seen women scream as Justin Bieber sang on stage and I have seen men cry as Messi scored a penalty which I think makes it safe to say that they all sit at the same table.
FEATURED IMAGE: A crowd of fans at the Hey Neighbour festival. Photo: Kamogelo Kungwane
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- Wits Vuvuzela, SLICE: The egomania of Hip-Hop, May 2024.
- Wits Vuvuzela, SLICE: Sport is virtually just as good without the crowds, May 2021.
