Links Roundup for 14 October 2011

Here’s a roundup of stories on universal fandom that might be of interest to fans:

• To be filed under “fans are still fans, regardless of gender”, at the FIFA Master Conference in Neuchâtel, Switzerland a multinational group of researchers presented a study on female fans of male dominated sports. Among their findings were that women “want to be included in regular fan culture without necessarily having to adopt aspects of the language and behavior that prevails within it” and that they “want acceptance in the same way it is afforded to men. They want to be accepted within fan communities on their own terms as legitimate and authentic fans.”
• To be filed under “fans are still fans, regardless of their fandom”, a media fan who attended her first sports convention, Caps Con, discovered that fans are alike under the cosplay outfits. “I’m a geek. I’ve hit the cons, walked the walk, and I talk the talk. The amazing thing about Saturday was just how much of fandom has apparently become universal in the last ten years. Whether it’s NHL hockey, comic books, or a television series, every convention has its consistencies.”
• To be filed under “fans are everywhere”, Star Wars fans’ recently staged “a huge lightsaber battle” in a New York City park with over 1000 participants. The Fandom Post story included video from the event and also from July 2010, when a group staged a scene of Darth Vader arresting Princess Leia in the NY subway, much to the delight of surprised bystanders.

If you’re part of a sports fandom, if you LARP or are a con-goer why not contribute your perspectives to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!