Female fans in blue and white (and yellow): interrelations between ethnonational and gender identity in the construction of female fandom

This article examines female basketball fandom in Israel, concentrating on the relationship between gender and ethnonational identity in sport. It is based on two preliminary assumptions: (a) sport is considered a masculine sphere of interest; (b) sport in general, and fandom in particular, are part of the unique sociocultural life; hence patterns of Israeli female fandom are influenced by collective-Israeli ethnonational and gender identity. The article follows the qualitative-narrative approach, using in-depth interviews. Its findings revealed symbiotic relationships between fans’ ethnic-national identity and their fandom for Maccabi Tel Aviv and views of the team’s players.