In the latest episode we discuss ideas of loyalty and fandom – with respect to both teams and individual athletes – and dissect various strands of ‘belonging’ to an imagined community.
Apple Podcasts
SpotifyBuy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy)
Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
For the rest – please check your country-specific Amazon pages.
Talking Points:
- The changing nature of fandom in the information age
- The schizophrenic nature of fandom in the franchise age
- Do you cheer for Kohli when he plays for India and wish for him to fail for RCB?
- The idea of imagined communities and the spread of nationalism
- Why does bandwagoning have a bad reputation?
- Supporting a team versus an individual – and how the first appears more noble
- The sacred space of fandom – watching as a community v watching alone
- The live experience v the TV experience – and the vast difference between them
- The loss of hope in 2000 – when Azhar and Cronje were embroiled in scandal
Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Rohit Naimpally (https://rohitnaimpally.substack.com/)
Deepauk Murugesan (@complicateur)
Ashoka (@ABVan)
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Related:
- That special whistle: the phenomeon called CSK – 81allout podcast
- The ins and outs of Fantasy Cricket – 81allout podcast
- Reviving War Minus the Shooting – 81allout podcast with Osman Samiuddin
- Imagined Communities – Benedict Anderson – Amazon
- Rules for Being a True Fan – Bill Simmons – ESPN Page 2
- We cheer for clothes – Jerry Seinfeld – YouTube
- Is sporting fandom a set of rituals or a relationship – Ahmer Naqvi – ESPNcricinfo
- Confessions of a bandwagon fan – David Sax – The New Yorker
- The legacy of Michael Jordan in China – Andrew Gao – chinosity.com
- Will you watch the World Cup – Siddhartha Vaidyanathan – sidveeblogs
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Lead image from here.