Kickstarter

After what I have deemed a very successful stint in Dublin in "the field," I have returned to Boston and Tufts University to start writing about supporters of Shamrock Rovers Football Club, based in Dublin, Ireland. This fundraiser is to help recoup my expenses (approximately $2,000) that went into getting me across the pond and keeping me there for two months.

My dissertation will focus on a smaller group of supporters called "Ultras," whose most basic purpose is to create a carnival atmosphere in the stands in order to give Rovers the edge over their opponents on the pitch. For many, the spectacle in the stands is as much a draw as the spectacle on the pitch. The Ultras have incorporated a continental European and Latin American style of fandom, looking away from their neighbors, the UK who dominate the Irish media to the extent that most Irish football fans support British clubs rather than their own.

At Block M in Tallaght Stadium, normal rules of society do not apply. For this reason, Ultras can express their identities as well as their emotions, which often create heated verbal conflict with the opposition support. What brings forth such strong emotions in the Ultras? Why do supporters devote so much time, energy, and money towards a team that most Dubliners know very little about? The questions are simple enough but the answers aren't.

After all, it's only a game...right?