“My observations show that there has been a surge in collective interest and action in Philadelphia from immigrant and diasporic communities watching the matches,” says Annenberg’s Katerina Girginova.
She explores how digital platforms are transforming fandom and why sport continues to serve as a contested space where cultural, linguistic, and political boundaries are negotiated in real time.
“Sport events like the World Cup are public and global platforms for attention where, in addition to the athletes, many interests and messages compete,” says Girginova. “There are many facets to it, but overall, these events gain their power based on the principles of communal experiences, whether positive, negative, or contested; symbolics; and economies of scale, including attention, affect, resources, and money.”
It could be argued, says Girginova, that “sport fans are increasingly seen as ancillary or even dispensable to the business models of many professional sport clubs, which have become increasingly finetuned to function in a digital and platformized age. Unlike the music industry, physical attendance is not the primary, or sometimes even key, source of revenue in major league sport. In turn, media companies have become much more concerned with providing creative digital experiences for their fans, which changes the nature of fandom and the DNA of traditionally communal sporting events.”
When the Schuylkill swallowed the city: Lessons from Hurricane Ida’s historic flood
New Penn research shows that Hurricane Ida wasn’t a once-in-a-century anomaly but a preview of how climate change, urbanization, and aging infrastructure are rewriting flood risk.
The Fed explained: What it does and why it matters
Former Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and financial historian Peter Conti-Brown, both Wharton professors, unpack the central bank’s origins, its unusual structure, and the quiet ways it shapes the economy
How population changes are impacting primary education worldwide
Research from Penn sociologist Emily Hannum and colleagues reveals regional trends in whether school-age populations are increasing, plateauing, or decreasing—and shows how different countries are responding.
A bioengineered bean gum from the lab of Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell is found to reduce the levels of three microbes associated with head and neck squamous cell cancer to almost zero, without affecting the beneficial bacteria normally found in the mouth.
Fighting oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums reduce the levels of three microbes linked to worse outcomes in oral cancers, paving the way for more effective and affordable therapies.
