Citation

Ward RE. Aggress. Violent Behav. 2002; 7(5): 453-475.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S1359-1789(01)00075-1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The author reviews the theoretical and empirical resources available for social scientists who study fan violence. Reviews of fan violence typically discuss the phenomenon from psychological, psychosocial, and sociological approaches. In this review, the author uses social problem and moral panic approaches to organize theories of and research into fan violence. The social problem approach focuses on what causes the "problem" of fan violence. The moral panic approach focuses on how fan violence becomes translated into a social problem. Moral panics are rapid and righteous appeals from the media and other agents of control that "something must be done" to extinguish a social menace. It is argued that both the social problem and moral panic approaches signify the importance of "we-group" versus "they-group" antagonisms in the creation and maintenance of fan violence.