Keywords
Media ecology
Collaborative alienation
Informal power networks
Governance
Submitted : 2026-02-17
Accepted : 2026-03-04
Published : 2026-03-19
Abstract
The migration of fan culture into sports has created “sports fan circles”, enhancing athlete visibility but introducing governance challenges. Drawing on media ecology theory, this study examines power redistribution among platforms, organizations, and fans. We propose “informal power networks” and “collaborative alienation” as analytical concepts, arguing that emotionally charged fan practices displace formal governance. An adaptive model is proposed based on three pillars: platform responsibility re-embedding, organizational authority repositioning, and fan self-regulation.
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