Socio-cultural issues through memes

The sporting world has traditionally embraced the classic mythologies of nobility and fair competition. The reinforcement of such ideals is conveyed through event coverage and documentary features on athletes. This conception is prevalent because sport is widely perceived as an equal playing field where socio-cultural issues are considered irrelevant to the ideals of fairness and competition (Ebanda de B’béri and Hogarth 2009, 90-91; Rowe 2004, 109).  These ideals are communicated through mass media which often emphasises underdog situations and rags-to-riches stories of sportspeople from ethnic minority or lower class backgrounds graining success through athletic achievements. The problem with these narratives is that it has become apparent that these ideals are constantly challenged by fans. Indeed, Phillips and Hutchins (2003, p. 228) argue that highly publicised and contested 'rationalisation' processes created at a popular level, ensures a critical distance that allows supporters to question and challenge the corporatization of sport. Accordingly, reactive forms of engagement have emerged to contest, challenge and inform these transitions These have included the emergence of fan lobby groups, independent supporters associations (Nash 2000), supporters trusts, alternative 'media' in the form of fanzines (Haynes 1995; Jary, Home & Bucke 1991), a multitude of internet-based communities that supports fan activity to consume, advocate and critique sports-related issues. Reactivity and mobilisation of fan communities illustrate the active nature of fandoms. Fan activities within online sports communities suggest issues concerning class, gender, race and political disparities are still relevant within its fandom through creations such as memes in which socio-cultural concerns such as racial stereotypes are mapped out onto the images of athletes, such as associating Asian sportspeople with academia and black athletes with gang culture. While it is likely, most memes are generated with comical intent and are meant to be consumed with a light hearted approach- they also signify the existence of racial stereotypes within society, which contradicts against the portrayed images of professional sports by mass media.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fan activism through memes- Jeremy Lin

Fan activism has long existed on the internet, with fans bounding together to save television shows from cancellation, defend themselves from copyright infringement threats by media corporations and promote alternative ideas (Jenkins 2012). In Jenkins' article regarding fan activism through the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA), he concluded, the fan group encourages people to speak out as fans on a broad range of socio-cultural and socio-political issues, through what the group's leader, calls "cultural acupuncture". The group's generative practices of deploying content from the fictional universe onto real-world concerns helps empower fans to become civically engaged and politically active. Fan activism is also evident in an online capacity with similarly profound effects. For example, 4Chan, originally a manga and anime fandom community generated memes and spread them across the Internet. Among the creations was the Obama 'Joker' imagery that was used in the Tea Party's campaign's against 'Obamacare'.

Jeremy Lin's performances on the basketball court during the 2011-2012 NBA season captured the imagination of fan's worldwide. Lin became the first ever American of Taiwanese of Chinese descent and the first Harvard graduate in nearly 50 years to play in the NBA, and, unexpectedly led his team; the New York Knicks to a winning streak, helping them make the playoffs. His on-court success generated the global following known as 'Linsanity', where fans attach his surname to coin popular catchphrases such as 'Lincredible' instead of incredible, 'Linning' instead of winning, "Super Lintendo" instead of Super Nintendo, 'Linvestment' instead of investment. The internet derived term, 'Linsanity' has also translated into marketing success for Lin with brands such as Nike, New Era, Adidas, Ben & Jerry's and Volvo using the phrase to promote their products.

 

 




   

Kobe Bryant- Black Mamba or Ball Hog?

The meme is an evolutionary replicator, defined as unit of information (a catchphrase, a concept, an expression of fashion, philosophy, culture, or politics) that is copied from person-to-person by imitation. W. J. T. Mitchell poses the question ‘What do pictures want?’, implying that pictures may have an independent life- drawing on the rhetorical argument that the life-like properties of pictures affect people in different ways. This argument is mirrored in the creation of internet memes whereby individual pictures can be used to generate a host of varying interpretations. Concurrently, popular consensus can be conveyed through various different pictures. Fan-created memes can be used to convey messages advocating socio-cultural and socio-political beliefs, stereotypes and personal interpretations; conversely they can also serve as "creative vandalism" to subvert the official's representations of whatever issues they choose. For instance, memes concerning Kobe Bryant predominately stereotypes him as a "ball hog" due to his playing style, which relies heavily on shooting the basketball rather then distributing it to other team mates. This goes against the ideals of team-play that has traditionally been associated with team sports like basketball. This perception also challenges Bryant's star image as a global superstar and as one of history's greatest basketball athletes, whose accomplishments arguably rivals that of all-time greats like Michael Jordan. Many fans also cite Jordan’s selfless nature as a key reason in his superiority over Bryant.