‘We wear the title Yid with pride’: personal pronouns and established-outsiders relations in the framing of Tottenham Hotspur as a ‘Jewish club’

This research demonstrates how Norbert Elias’s figurational sociological approach offers an alternative theoretical framework to examine the relationship between sport and religion. Specifically, by investigating the attitudes and opinions of football fans, this study explored the connection between Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and the Jewish faith. A total of 596 Tottenham Hotspur fans were recruited via social media to participate in an online survey, and additional in-depth, unstructured interviews with 10 participants provided qualitative data. Thematic analysis was conducted through an abductive application of figurational concepts such as ‘established-outsiders relations’ and the ‘personal pronoun’ model, and consequently generated three main themes: a) ‘pride and identity’; b) ‘sport as a religion’; and, c) ‘community’. Many fans expressed pride in the club’s association with the Jewish faith, while others argued that sport and religion are not interconnected. Fans acknowledged similarities between sport fandom and religion, such as the sense of community and belonging experienced among co-religionists or fellow football fans.