Field notes is a new segment that will feature grandstanders in their element, conversations during the performance, grandstanding as it happens, uncensored, unadulterated, pure and shameless fandom.
For the first dispatch we go to a Super Bowl party and sit in the most comfortable and ubiquitous of grandstands, the couch, and talk about almost everything but the game.
The Spectating Spectrum is a 3 part series in which we profile 3 different shades of spectating from the grandstand: the Believer, the Atheist and the Agnostic.
Part 3 - The Complicated Fandom of a Post Modern Outlaw in the American West
For the third and final installment of The Spectating Spectrum we talk to Ray Lawson, an actual USA soccer supporter, about his futbol rooting ethos. We discuss the potential perils of disimpassioned fandom and the existential conundrum of being a sensible American parishioner in the most cultish of all outlaw religions.
The Spectating Spectrum is a 3 part series in which we profile 3 different shades of spectating from the grandstand: the Believer, the Atheist and the Agnostic.
Part 2 - Dr. Eisenberg: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Thinking I Was a Fascist Ultra and Learned to Love My Fandom
Grandstanding requires constant reflection and attentiveness to the absurd. Every once in a while the skeptical cognoscente in the grandstand force us to examine the bad faith of our spectating. In part 2 of this series we talk to Nathan Eisenberg about his illuminating essay about European Soccer Ultras: “Ultra Violence” The New Inquiry June 2015. Is Mario and Manny’s nationalistic fandom priming them for Fascism? What is Fascism?
Check out Nathan's essay at: http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/ultra-violence/
The Spectating Spectrum is a 3 part series in which we profile 3 different shades of spectating from the grandstand: the Believer, the Atheist and the Agnostic.
Part 1 - The Beautiful and Effortless Fandom of Damiano Zardini
Not all fandom is created equally; and in some rare cases some Grandstanders can make it look easy. In this episode we talk to Damiano Zardini about his love for his hometown football club Hellas Verona and about the uncomplicated nature of rooting straightforwardly, for love, over a lifetime and with a sense of place.
After Mario’s recent visit to the Chargers’ final home game of the season, we decided to do a bonus episode to discuss what a Charger-less city might mean for the people of San Diego. What exactly is the void that their departure would leave behind for Bolts fans? With special cameos featuring Jerry Seinfeld, Barack Obama and the NFL’s newest fan, Frida; Mario and Manny discuss the great drama that has been the Chargers threatening to leave to Los Angeles.
In part 2 of our discussion of professional wrestling, we discuss the physical and psychological toll that goes into entertaining an audience for a living. Like athletes in any sport, wrestlers are performers who often sacrifice their physical and mental health for a paycheck, the enrichment of corporate executives, and the entertainment of a public looking for an escape.
This is a two parter. Check out part 1, which introduces our discussion of professional wrestling.
For episode 3, Mario discusses the ridiculous world of professional wrestling with Manny. They breakdown a few of the terms and principles that underlie this industry of manipulation - one that feeds an audience that is hungry for something real, with performances that are generally perceived as absurdly unreal. To what degree do we essentially develop our own personal wrestling characters and performances to interact with our audiences on a daily basis? This negotiation between performance and spectators makes professional wrestling a truly unbelievable spectacle within a world where people simply want something to believe in.
This is a two parter. Check out part 2, which delves more into the labor exploitation of the professional wrestler.
In episode 2 Mario and Manny are joined by Tijuana/San Diego sports beat writer and Football fan, Daniel Iglesias, to talk about cross border fandom and Mario’s greener grass syndrome issues. What’s inside the Trojan horse of fandom crossing the Mexico/USA gate for Xolos and Chargers? Is Mexico’s bourgeoning interest in Football something new or has it been a historically attentive market of fans waiting for the NFL to pay attention to them? Who is psychologically bankrolling the Mexican National team’s storied push to the quarter-finals (quinto partido) at the World Cup?
Check out Daniel Iglesia's work at: senordelosemparrillados.com
For the first episode of Grandstand Podcast, Mario is joined by cousin, Manny, sociology professor and fellow fanatic of the drama of winning, losing, cheating and, more than anything, talking about it. They will be discussing fandom and the beautiful absurdity of engaging in the theatre of sports. Is it permissible to root for a sports team that you have no regional or familial ties to? Can a fan switch teams? What’s more suspect than a Bandwagon fan?