TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring ethnic identity perceptions of Hyun-Jin Ryu’s Korean American fans
AU - Shin, Na Ri
AU - Welty Peachey, Jon
AU - Park, Doo Jae
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2019/11/1
Y1 - 2019/11/1
N2 - The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of Korean American fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Korean pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. Two research questions were developed to guide the study: (a) How are participants’ ethnic identity perceptions as Korean Americans intertwined with their fanship to Hyun-Jin Ryu? and (b) How are participants’ lived experiences intertwined with their fanship to Ryu? The study focused on the details of how fans perceived their ethnic identity in relation to Ryu’s performance and presence in Major League Baseball. Findings revealed that fans initially became involved due to their ethnic ties to Ryu and remained as fans because they felt connected to the motherland of Korea. Fans individually identified with Ryu through the perceived minority status of being Korean American in the US. Fans experienced vicarious satisfaction as they felt Ryu broke racial, ethnic, and gender stereotypes through his body image and physical performance. Consequently, they developed Korean pride when Ryu performed well. This study extends Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory and Phinney’s concept of ethnic identity to examine fanship to a specific player rather than a team.
AB - The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of Korean American fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Korean pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. Two research questions were developed to guide the study: (a) How are participants’ ethnic identity perceptions as Korean Americans intertwined with their fanship to Hyun-Jin Ryu? and (b) How are participants’ lived experiences intertwined with their fanship to Ryu? The study focused on the details of how fans perceived their ethnic identity in relation to Ryu’s performance and presence in Major League Baseball. Findings revealed that fans initially became involved due to their ethnic ties to Ryu and remained as fans because they felt connected to the motherland of Korea. Fans individually identified with Ryu through the perceived minority status of being Korean American in the US. Fans experienced vicarious satisfaction as they felt Ryu broke racial, ethnic, and gender stereotypes through his body image and physical performance. Consequently, they developed Korean pride when Ryu performed well. This study extends Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory and Phinney’s concept of ethnic identity to examine fanship to a specific player rather than a team.
KW - Korean American sports fans
KW - Korean baseball players
KW - ethnic identity
KW - social identity theory
KW - sports spectatorship
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071833416&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1012690217753845
DO - 10.1177/1012690217753845
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85071833416
SN - 1012-6902
VL - 54
SP - 855
EP - 872
JO - International Review for the Sociology of Sport
JF - International Review for the Sociology of Sport
IS - 7
ER -