"Faithful until Death": Sports Fans and Nationalist Discourse in Bulgarian Internet Forums
"Faithful until Death": Sports Fans and Nationalist Discourse in Bulgarian Internet Forums

Summary/Abstract: Abstract: The article deals with the topics of Sport, Nationalism and Internet discourses. It explores the language, attitudes and reactions of sports fans in the Bulgarian sports forums by the means of discourse analyses and internet research methods. The aim is to reveal the subjective interpretations and concrete forms of mental images used by forum participants to express what Bulgarian-ness is for them. The analyses address the questions how the emotional center revealed by sports fans’ attitudes is constructed and what is its concrete content. The objects of research are the reactions and emotions of sports supporters, the language, style of expressions and graphic layout of the postings. The conclusion reached asserts that the language used in the forums and the ‘behaviour’ of Internet users transform the concrete website www.topsport.bg into a special space of discussing, stating and experiencing national belonging and affiliation.

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