Date of Award

5-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Legacy Department

Communication, Technology, and Society

Committee Member

Dr. Angela N. Pratt, Committee Chair

Committee Member

Dr. Stephanie Pangborn

Committee Member

Dr. Darren Linvill

Abstract

The current study aims to explore new avenues of fan studies and family communication research. Current research in both disciplines does not address in-depth how individuals become fans of certain sports teams and how family can play a role in the development of fandom. Communication scholars have explained that family legacies and stories are passed down through narratives, also known as family storytelling. Studies show that individuals come to know themselves and the world through family stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Sport is prominent in American culture, and baseball is known as America's Pastime. This phenomenological study explores how Major League Baseball fandom is inherited through family storytelling, and how older generations communicate this fandom or these stories to their offspring. Through interviews with individuals and family units, my goal was to understand how individuals articulate the experience and significance of intergenerational family fandom. This study shows that fandom and multigenerational families are interconnected.

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