From Boys to Men: An Interpretive Ethnography of College Football

Abstract

This dissertation consists of an interpretive ethnography grounded in a circuit of culture framework. The ethnography was conducted on and written about the Midwest State Mustang’s (a pseudonym) football program, one of the most successful programs at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level over the past half-decade. The researcher immersed himself within the culture of Mustang football for an entire calendar year, attending team functions such as practices, workouts, meetings, social events, and games. The term, culture, within college football programs has been used as an all-encompassing buzz word; the present dissertation aims to apply academic theory and definition to the complex concept of culture. Using the circuit of culture model as a guide to understanding culture as a fluid process occurring through the production, representation, and consumption of cultural products, the researcher further implements a multi-level (institutional, organizational, and individual) exploration of culture based in various academic research areas. Literature from institutional theory, organizational culture, organizational politics, organizational justice, political skill, and motivation and inspiration are all implemented to support the circuit of culture framework. This dissertation aims to identify ways in which members of Mustang football produce, represent, and consume cultural products, in addition to the process of cultural learning that new members experience. The results are conveyed in the form of narrative ethnography, written in the first person to convey to the reader the lived experience of the researcher during his year-long research endeavor. The unprecedented access granted to the researcher allowed for rich and plentiful data that grants an extensive and comprehensive analysis of a captivating and complex cultural setting.