Spanish Fans Research Articles

A Digital Archaeology of Early Hispanic Film Culture: Film Magazines and the Male Fan Reader

As a sociologically-oriented study, this project contributes to an archaeology of cinema fandom broadly, and early Spanish fan culture specifically, by spotlighting male readers of popular film magazines. Taking as an exploratory case study reader interactivity with the magazine Popular Film, analysis of correspondence and published photos of readers participating in reader contests demonstrates that the magazine’s cinema fan base was composed of a strikingly large proportion of readers who were male and that these were ardent enthusiasts of celebrity consumer culture. This is a notable contradistinction to the widely-held idea of the star-struck female movie fan. Methodologically, in conducting this study we reflect on the challenges of digital approaches to historical periodical research, where particular challenges are posed when working with magazines in a non-anglophone language, and when there are few baseline studies to rely on to guide and contextualize patterns picked up through strictly macro methods. We advocate for the affordances of a mixed macro-micro approach that combines distant reading with traditional textual studies of close reading. By adopting such a hybrid framework, digital methods provide new opportunities towards reconstructing profiles of magazine readerships and to unearth evidence of male movie fans in Spain.

Real Madrid and public relations: applying the circuit of culture to organizational values

ABSTRACT Real Madrid is one of the leading sport organizations in the world in terms of finances, fans and awards, a status gained in large part due to its values. Using a critical/historical method, this paper examines the role of public relations in how Real Madrid communicates its values with club members and international fans, focusing on the years 2000 to present. For that purpose, this article uses the circuit of culture and its five moments – regulation, production, consumption, representation, and identity – in the creation of shared meaning. The circuit provides an organizing and conceptual framework that places public relations practice in a dynamic negotiation of power between the organization (Real Madrid) and its stakeholders (mainly international fans) that is context specific and constantly changing. The study concludes that Real Madrid has been able to embrace a set of universalist values and thus find massive success to break away from its older, local and national identity, all without alienating its Spanish fans.

Dexterous Gripper for In-Hand Manipulation with Embedded Object Localization Algorithm

Since the last decade, thanks to the spreading of the concept of Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory, more and more companies have started to investigate the robotic field looking for reliable solutions aiming at improving the efficiency of assembly lines.Promising technologies are connected to the speeding up of production stages like fast algorithms for object localization, as well as dexterous grippers for manipulation and assembly. Nowadays, most of the solutions for pick and place tasks involve the use of robotic grippers for grasping objects, while robotic manipulators are responsible for their accurate placements. Focusing on the grippers, although their simple structure can be appreciated, it greatly reduces their in-hand manipulation abilities, making unfeasible the twists of grasped objects and their release in a desired pose. As consequence, the efficiency of the pick and place operation is reduced since several adjustments of the robotic arm are required to accomplish the task.In this paper, a novel dexterous gripper coupled with a vision system algorithm for object localization and pose estimation are presented, and their performances in manipulating different objects are discussed. The designed gripper has a symmetrical structure with two finger modules, each one consisting in a couple of linear actuators arranged mutually orthogonal, so the translations in two axis, namely y and z directions, are allowed. As terminal part of each finger there is a revolute joint to whom is attached a fingertip modelled according to the shape of the target objects and easily replaceable. The embedded vision system algorithm adopted estimates position and orientation of the objects on a flat surface, and it coordinates the gripper placement to grasp them. The case study of the handling of a Spanish fan is presented and discussed in details.

Myths of Romantic Love and Gender-based Violence in the Fan Forum of the Spanish Teen SeriesLos Protegidos

By analysing the fan forum of a popular Spanish teen series aimed at young people, Los Protegidos (2010–12), this study explores how stereotypical myths and beliefs about romantic love are maintained. The article interprets comments made by Spanish fans of the series about the reactions and behaviours of the leading couple. We found that fan forum participants evaluate the couple’s behaviour according to gender stereotypes. They justify the male character’s aggressive behaviour towards the female character and blame her for her mistreatment. Based on the analysis results, we reflect on the perpetuation of myths that justify violence in romantic relationships.

Estudio de las competencias digitales en el espectador fan español

There are several studies nowadays that address the analysis of participatory cultures and, more specifically, the fan audience of movies or television series. Henry Jenkins, moving away from the stereotype of brainless consumers and social misfits who dedicate their lives to developing “useless knowledge,” marks a turning point by suggesting a fan profile that corresponds to educated people. From this moment, fan studies are living their golden age with different researchers or aca-fans who study and analyze the phenomenon in their different countries of origin. The general objective of this research is to take an x-ray, study and describe the Spanish fan audience regarding their digital skills. There are also two secondary objectives: to make a comparison between fan audience and non-fan audience according to their digital skills and to analyze the correlation degree between the level of digital skills of the fan audience and the number of series and movies of which they consider themselves to be fans. To address these objectives, an ad hoc online questionnaire was administered, involving 1003 audiovisual fiction consumers, whose data were analyzed using a quantitative methodology. Descriptive and comparative analyzes allowed us to conclude that, first of all, the practice that fan audience control is the search for information. Second, the fan audience has greater digital skills than nonfan audience. And, finally, that the level of skills in the content interaction and editing elements in fans is directly proportional to the number of products of which the audience consider themselves to be fans.

To be a Fan is to be Happier: Using the Eudaimonic Spectator Questionnaire to Measure Eudaimonic Motivations in Spanish Fans

Many studies have linked audiovisual entertainment to hedonia. Recently, also to eudaimonic happiness. The Eudaimonic Spectator Questionnaire is proposed as a new tool to explore eudaimonic motivations that are linked to the consumption of audiovisual entertainment. The new questionnaire groups these eudaimonic motivations into two factors: the cultivation of cognitive–intellectual growth and social–emotional growth. Once the consistency and reliability of the questionnaire was tested, we observed statistically significant differences between fans and non-fan spectators; these differences were observed in both factors. The results indicated that being a fan is associated with the cultivation of human virtues and character strengths.

Diameter constrained reliability of ladders and Spanish fans

We are given a graph G = (V, E), terminal set K ? V and diameter d > 0. Links fail stochastically and independently with known probabilities. The diameter-constrained reliability (DCR for short), is the probability that the K-diameter is not greater than d in the subgraph induced by non-failed links. The contributions of this paper are two-fold. First, the computational complexity of DCR-subproblems is discussed in terms of the number of terminals k = jKj and diameter d. Here, we prove that when d > 2 the problem is NP-Hard when K = V. Second, we compute the DCR efficiently for Ladders and Spanish Fans. Open problems and trends for future work are discussed in the conclusions.

Case study of French and Spanish fan reception of "Game of Thrones"

The reception of the American TV show Game of Thrones (2011–) by French and Spanish fans and nonfans is addressed via a qualitative methodology, the goal of which is to understand how European viewers perceive themselves as fans and what it means for them to be fans. Analysis of characteristics of a specifically European reception helps us learn what fan studies tell us about fans and what fans really think about fandoms.

Testosterone and Cortisol Release among Spanish Soccer Fans Watching the 2010 World Cup Final

This field study investigated the release of testosterone and cortisol of a vicarious winning experience in Spanish fans watching the finals between Spain and the Netherlands in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer. Spanish fans (n = 50) watched the match with friends or family in a public place or at home and also participated in a control condition. Consistent with hypotheses, results revealed that testosterone and cortisol levels were higher when watching the match than on a control day. However, neither testosterone nor cortisol levels increased after the victory of the Spanish team. Moreover, the increase in testosterone secretion was not related to participants' sex, age or soccer fandom, but the increase in total cortisol secretion during the match was higher among men than among women and among fans that were younger. Also, increases in cortisol secretion were greater to the degree that people were a stronger fan of soccer. Level of fandom further appeared to account for the sex effect, but not for the age effect. Generally, the testosterone data from this study are in line with the challenge hypothesis, as testosterone levels of watchers increased to prepare their organism to defend or enhance their social status. The cortisol data from this study are in line with social self-preservation theory, as higher cortisol secretion among young and greater soccer fans suggests that especially they perceived that a negative outcome of the match would threaten their own social esteem.

From ‘socios’ to ‘hyper-consumers’: an empirical examination of the impact of commodification on Spanish football fans

Traditionally, the Spanish game has been analysed in scholarly studies in terms of the effect of crowd violence or the nationalist and regionalist implications of the Spanish clubs. Latterly analysis has also extended to include gender issues (and the process of constructing masculinity, in particular) and a spate of studies dealing with racism and xenophobia, both of which have blighted the Spanish game in recent years. Little attention, however, has been given over to the study of the effects on fans of the rapidly expanding influence of commercialization on football in Spain. With this gap in mind, this study sets out to examine, from an empirical perspective, the social consequences of the commodification processes of football in the discourse of the sport’s fans.

Just a game? Changes in English and Spanish soccer fans’ emotions in the 2010 World Cup

Objectives To explore English and Spanish fans’ emotional responses to team success and failure and resulting changes in social interaction and spending during the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Design A between-group and within-group longitudinal design. Method Data on emotion, team identification, social interaction and spending were collected from 59 English fans (47 men, 12 women), and 32 Spanish fans (19 men, 13 women), before, during and after the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Results Both English and Spanish fans displayed significant changes in emotional state after the success or failure of their respective teams during the Soccer World Cup. The positive emotional state associated with winning the tournament in the Spanish fans persisted for over four days, and the negative emotional state associated with the early exit from the tournament by the English fans did not. Four days after the tournament the Spanish Fans had a more positive emotional state than the English fans. The changes in emotional state were not associated with greater identification with the team assessed through the use of team identifying pronouns; nor were changes in behavior associated with changes in emotional state. After the tournament the Spanish fans reported spending more time socializing than English fans and also spending more money than usual compared with baseline. Conclusion These data provide evidence that group membership influences emotion and that the positive emotional experience associated with group success persist longer than the negative emotional experience associated with group failure.

Building a Mass Activity: Fandom, Class and Business in Early Spanish Football

Between 1910 and 1925, Spanish football grew from a middle‐class amusement into a massive popular activity, a change rooted in the creation of a working‐class fan base that simply had not existed before. This essay will explore how that fan base developed and the changes that made working‐class participation practical. Clubs created clear identities to whip up passion and draw supporters from the local community. This interest was supported by local businesses and new industries, such as railroad companies. Similarly, new stadiums catered to all classes by establishing differentiated seating. All of these changes gradually blended bourgeois and working‐class norms to create an activity with mass appeal. These developments defined what it meant to be a Spanish football fan in its first age and have a substantial legacy within the sport up until today.

New Labour, racism and ‘new’ football in England

ABSTRACT Bradbury and Williams begin by examining aspects of the genealogy of incidents of fan racism at the Spain v. England international football match in Madrid on 17 November 2004, and the public outcry in Britain that followed. They raise questions about the possible ‘strategic mobilization’ by Spanish fans of apparently racist epithets as a response to the use, by the English football authorities before the match, of prominent anti-racism symbolism. The main body of the article then considers the British public response to Madrid within the context of the Blairite New Labour policy on football racism in England from the late 1990s. It argues that Labour's Football Task Force from 1997 constituted an entirely new direction for sport and government policy in Britain. However, by drawing on the comments of some of the key figures involved, Bradbury and Williams further contend that, both structurally and ideologically, the Task Force was preset to limit its own investigations on the nature and effects of racism, specifically in the English game. Although the Task Force's report, Eliminating Racism in Football, has had some positive effects—for example, on Football Association policy or in stimulating local anti-racist initiatives—its narrow focus and its relatively underdeveloped understanding of the racism problem in professional sport led its members to de-emphasize the significance of forms of institutionalized racism within English football. Research and commentaries on racism in the English game since that report was published in 1998 suggest that problems of racialized exclusion in football remain. Bradbury and Williams conclude that the public outrage in Britain about the incidents in Madrid reflect an over-concentration on silencing public expressions of racism—combating overt, collective fan outbreaks—at the expense of addressing the racialized structures of power that continue to shape access, opportunities and acceptance of ethnic minorities within professional football in England.

Alluvial fan dissection: relationships between morphology and sedimentation

Summary Aggradation and dissection on alluvial fans influence the coupling between sediment source areas and main channels. Previous alluvial fan models emphasize the influence of drainage area and sediment character on overall fan morphometry and proximal-distal sedimentary variations. A model is proposed for the morphology and sedimentology of dry-region alluvial fans, based on crusted and non-crusted Quaternary fans in SE Spain, differentiating between aggradational and dissectional tendencies. Many fans show fan-head trenching, with the channel emerging on the fan surface at a mid-fan intersection point. Distally either aggradation or headcut development may occur, with headcut development and trenching leading ultimately to the total dissection of the fan surface. Three sets of factors determine intersection-point behaviour: fan surface crusting, discrepancy between fan and channel slopes, and channel morphology. Multiple regression models are developed to account for variations in fan and channel slopes and channel morphology, taking into account source area and sediment variations. Intersection point trenching is most common on steep crusted fans, where the discrepancy between fan slope and channel slope is greatest, and where channel widths are limited. Arid region fans from the American Southwest are contrasted with the Spanish fans. Neither the non-crusted nor the crusted American fans examined show any tendency towards intersection-point trenching. Their fan slope/channel slope discrepancies are less and their channels are wider, the result of both differing Quaternary sequences and contemporary environments between Spain and the American Southwest. The implications are important for the continuity of dry-region fluvial systems and for the stratigraphy of alluvial fan sequences. Simple fans with distal area aggradation show a simple stacked stratigraphy, but fans with a propensity for mid-fan and distal trenching may show a complex inset stratigraphy.

Recepción de la ficción televisiva norteamericana en España. El caso de Friends

Situada dentro dos Estudos de Recepção, esta pesquisa investiga a audiência de Friends na Espanha, focalizando o conceito de entretenimento e a atitude do espectador em relação ao universo “americano representado”. Em primeiro lugar, este artigo oferece uma descrição geral da audiência espanhola de Friends, centrada, sobretudo, em seu perfil sociodemográfico e seus hábitos de consumo. Em segundo lugar, será detalhada a relação que se estabelece entre a audiência e o universo “americano representado”. Nesta investigação, são combinados métodos quantitativos e qualitativos com o emprego de 2.494 entrevistas online, dois grupos de discussão e dez entrevistas em profundidade.