“Be Early, Be Loud, Wear Red”: An Ethnographic Study of the Performance of Liberty University Football Fan Identity and Boundaries

“Be Early, Be Loud, Wear Red”: An Ethnographic Study of the Performance of Liberty University Football Fan Identity and Boundaries

Basic

Social identity theory explains how college sports fandom can shape both social and personal identities, particularly through the formation of in-groups and out-groups based on identification with a team and opposition to rivals. Sports fans often communicate and behave in ways that signal their membership in the in-group while simultaneously distinguishing or excluding out-group members. This study examines how Liberty University football fans perform these in-group behaviors and how they mark boundaries with out-group members. Through observations made during a Liberty University Homecoming football game, the study deepens understanding of how sports fans construct belonging and unbelonging, and how these processes of inclusion and exclusion contribute to collective identity formation that both unites and divides communities. Findings suggest that when intersecting cultures are present, such as Christian culture and fan culture, one culture becomes dominant and largely shapes the performance of behavior and communication. Keywords: Fandom, football, social identity theory, in-group, out-group, behavior