Joining the Faithful: The Saskatchewan Roughriders' Fan Subculture and Public Ownership

This research examined the Saskatchewan Roughriders' fan subculture and their connection to public ownership. It was socially significant to study this particular case because little scholarly work has been done on the effects of public ownership on a group of fans. This thesis studied this relationship in two ways. First, a political-economical analysis of Canadian professional sport was conducted to examine the ownership patterns of professional sport franchises across the country. Specifically, this research focused on three areas in Canadian professional sport: the CFL, the NHL, and the Toronto-based franchises. Secondly, using semi-structured interviews and content analysis, this research then identified the common features---or habitus---of the subculture and its relationship to public ownership in Saskatchewan. At the same time, participants were questioned on the strengths and weaknesses of public ownership to determine its visibility to those involved with the subculture.