Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-2018

DOI

10.1123/jis.2017-0026

Publication Title

Journal of Intercollegiate Sport

Volume

11

Issue

1

Pages

1-23

Abstract

The ritual of tailgating is a staple of college football Saturdays, particularly for fans of teams in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Fan traditions help infuse pregame gatherings around the stadiums with team spirit, as fans frequently theme their food and drink to represent their chosen team. New social media platforms—particularly photo-sharing platforms such as Instagram—have taken tailgates to the virtual space. Through interviews with participants who partake in the phenomenon, this study sought to ascertain what fans of SEC teams gain from the process of social media participation. Utilizing the critical framework of symbolic interactionism, this exploratory study examines meaning attached to the ritual and symbolism of team-specific food and drink. By sharing pictures of food and drink with supporters of their favorite team, SEC fans create a virtual community, united by fan allegiance and food and drink fellowship, realizing personal benefits such as sharing nostalgia and developing a sense of community.

Comments

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC-ND) License.

Original Publication Citation

Slavich, M. A., O’Hallarn, B., & Morehead, C. A. (2018). “We smoked a gator!”: An exploration of college football fans’ instagramming of food. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 11(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1123/jis.2017-0026

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