Participant Summary 17/6/19 - What's at stake for AFL fans? And is it our own reflection, or is it a part of a structured environment?

A bit going on here from a research perspective. Can't help but feel "authentic" fan behaviour and identity is being contested:
Joffa's message: This is our place, leave us alone https://t.co/IRgLPz46fb via @theage

— Ed Reddin (@ed_reddin) June 17, 2019

Posted this tweet after a weekend of AFL where fan behaviour and security of seemed to be the headline.

It feels like agents such as fans, the AFL , police, stadium management, and security companies are struggling to establish acceptable rules of behaviour, power, language, and property.

I also think some of this has been driven by changing social norms, such as the increased visibility of anti-social behaviour, a sense of entitlement and need to be outraged, and safety and surveillance concerns.

In some respects, I think fans are entitled to feel anxious until new norms are established, especially if new norms are radically different.

Also at stake is fan identity, given that so much of it is bound up in established and socially accepted behaviour and language.

I think the rules that are being contested are visibility, intimidation, surveillance, safety, property and ownership.

It also reminds me of Simonton's (?) thesis that some of our fan identity is inscribed by us onto the things we, value so we can see it reflected back to us, and some of our fandom is structured around us, such as the rationalisation of stadiums, capitalism, consumerism, globalisation, and definitely in thsi case, surveillance.

Just writing this all here now so I can come back to it later as a possible research piece or article.