This project aims to uncover the phenomenological and communicative roots of sport fandom from the fan perspective, taking into account the many ways in which fans come to contact sport and integrate corresponding experiences into their own lives and sense of being in the world. Hans-Georg Gadamer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty are used to understand the conventions of play that manifest in sport, leading not only to the co-creation of the game experience due to the intertwining of spectators and players but also to the interplay of temporal realms that leads to what Gadamer calls the fusion of horizons. Through this fusion, we come to recognize difference and intertwine perspectives to craft a constructive hermeneutic approach to dialogue. Additionally, this project surveys the importance of sport for society, the ability of fandom to join people together and establish meaning, the creation of shared spaces through attachment to stadia, and the influence of sport on how we consume in the marketplace.
","abstract_html":"<p>This project aims to uncover the phenomenological and communicative roots of sport fandom from the fan perspective, taking into account the many ways in which fans come to contact sport and integrate corresponding experiences into their own lives and sense of being in the world. Hans-Georg Gadamer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty are used to understand the conventions of play that manifest in sport, leading not only to the co-creation of the game experience due to the intertwining of spectators and players but also to the interplay of temporal realms that leads to what Gadamer calls the <em>fusion of horizons</em>. Through this fusion, we come to recognize difference and intertwine perspectives to craft a constructive hermeneutic approach to dialogue. Additionally, this project surveys the importance of sport for society, the ability of fandom to join people together and establish meaning, the creation of shared spaces through attachment to stadia, and the influence of sport on how we consume in the marketplace.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Regina, Alexander"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"PhD","degree_level":"Immediate Access","degree_discipline":"Communication and Rhetorical Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Erik A. Garrett","Janie Harden Fritz","Richard H. Thames"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:09:20Z","subjects":["Sport","Phenomenology","Gadamer","Merleau-Ponty","Communication","Regina","Pittsburgh","Fandom","Other Communication","Sports Studies"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/213","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Erik A. Garrett","Janie Harden Fritz","Richard H. Thames"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Regina, Alexander"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-12-13T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication and Rhetorical Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Immediate Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["PhD"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Sport","Phenomenology","Gadamer","Merleau-Ponty","Communication","Regina","Pittsburgh","Fandom","Other Communication","Sports Studies"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/213"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This project aims to uncover the phenomenological and communicative roots of sport fandom from the fan perspective, taking into account the many ways in which fans come to contact sport and integrate corresponding experiences into their own lives and sense of being in the world. Hans-Georg Gadamer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty are used to understand the conventions of play that manifest in sport, leading not only to the co-creation of the game experience due to the intertwining of spectators and players but also to the interplay of temporal realms that leads to what Gadamer calls the fusion of horizons. Through this fusion, we come to recognize difference and intertwine perspectives to craft a constructive hermeneutic approach to dialogue. Additionally, this project surveys the importance of sport for society, the ability of fandom to join people together and establish meaning, the creation of shared spaces through attachment to stadia, and the influence of sport on how we consume in the marketplace.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Phenomenological Investigation of Sport and Fandom Through Hans-Georg Gadamer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Erik A. Garrett","Janie Harden Fritz","Richard H. Thames"],"dc:creator":["Regina, Alexander"],"dc:date.available":["2017-12-13T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This project aims to uncover the phenomenological and communicative roots of sport fandom from the fan perspective, taking into account the many ways in which fans come to contact sport and integrate corresponding experiences into their own lives and sense of being in the world. Hans-Georg Gadamer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty are used to understand the conventions of play that manifest in sport, leading not only to the co-creation of the game experience due to the intertwining of spectators and players but also to the interplay of temporal realms that leads to what Gadamer calls the fusion of horizons. Through this fusion, we come to recognize difference and intertwine perspectives to craft a constructive hermeneutic approach to dialogue. Additionally, this project surveys the importance of sport for society, the ability of fandom to join people together and establish meaning, the creation of shared spaces through attachment to stadia, and the influence of sport on how we consume in the marketplace.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/213"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["Sport","Phenomenology","Gadamer","Merleau-Ponty","Communication","Regina","Pittsburgh","Fandom","Other Communication","Sports Studies"],"dc:title":["A Phenomenological Investigation of Sport and Fandom Through Hans-Georg Gadamer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Communication and Rhetorical Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Immediate Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["PhD"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:09:20Z"}