"Locating" the Nation: Football Game Day and American Dreams in Central Ohio

Abstract

Abstract This article suggests how abstract ideas like "nation" are lived and situated by examining recurring features ofAmerican football as it is experienced by spectators in central Ohio. Football-an institutionalized drama formed by its inventors to address questions of national identity and social relations-is embedded within the generically complex event known as "game day" and is framed by ongoing social practices that stem from the sport’s competitive structure. As a multifaceted event grounded in both historical contexts and live performances, this spectator sport provides an ideal case for highlighting connections among form, ideology, and identity. This article argues that as a celebratory complex, Ohio State University football enacts aspects of national identity (including tropes of competitive opportunity, mechanized teamwork, and homeland defense) in terms of shared experiences and expressions grounded in local affiliations. In particular, the much-anticipated and ritually structured performances of the OSUMarching Band guide fans in endorsing "America" and its attendant ideologies while simultaneously emphasizing local difference.

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