Women's Voices from the Tribunes: Experiences of Turkish Women Fans

This study examined the representation of women in several sports, focusing on the issue of fans, in which women have extremely little engagement. In this context, the present study aimed to better understand women's fan experiences in football and basketball, two sports with gendered structures. One of the qualitative research methodologies utilized was phenomenological design, and the sample was determined using criteria sampling and snowball sampling procedures, both of which are purposive sampling techniques. Interviews were carried out with 22 women football and basketball fans who fit the requirements. The research used a semi-structured individual interview approach to thoroughly analyze the concept of fanhood, with data obtained between February and March 2023. During the interviews, the participants were given seven questions to get a thorough understanding of their fan experiences. The participants agreed to having their video recorded on Zoom and having it transcribed by the researcher. The interviews took an average of 30 minutes. The data was analyzed using MAXQDA, which was then displayed. At the conclusion of the research, both fan groups see fan as a passion and form emotional relationships by offering moral support to their teams. Both sets of fans cited team failure and management failure as reasons for abandoning their fan. Additionally, it was established that both sets of fans identified family responsibilities as a significant hindrance for women in attending matches. Furthermore, participants expressed that sports matches and the atmosphere in the stands are generally influenced by male dominance.