The Changing Face of Football Fandom in the Digital Age
Increasingly, clubs and their เกมสล็อตยอดนิยมของ UFABET fans are finding new ways to connect with each other outside of stadiums. Whether online, through social media, streaming services or VR/AR, the tried and tested fandom model has been challenged. These new spaces are enabling fans to build community with each other, whilst still enjoying the euphoria of a live game.
One of the new spaces that has emerged in recent years in the EPL is YouTube ‘Fan TV’ channels. These channels, which are framed as contemporary products of the participatory new media era, provide an opportunity for fans to host and broadcast their own pre-game and post-match content. Unlike traditional radio and television coverage, these channels allow for a two-way engagement between fans, with supporters commenting and reacting to the content.
The Changing Face of Football Fandom in the Digital Age
The growing importance of these spaces has not gone unnoticed by football clubs. The Liverpool FC fan site ‘The Anfield Wrap’ has recently branched out into a podcast. With over 30k listens a week, this new channel has rapidly become a loud voice for Liverpool fans. Indeed, if you give Liverpool fans the choice of listening to Paul Tomkins (of TAW) or Tony Evans from the Times, it is likely that they would choose Paul.
The emergence of these new ‘offline’ and ‘online’ fandom spaces offers an intriguing arena for scholarly investigation. The continual globalization, digitalization and commercialization processes that are transforming the world of EPL football are also impacting on fandom spaces and it will be interesting to see how these evolve in the future.
