I arrive at Buster’s Sports Bar and Grill on Broadway at 8pm on Tuesday the 13th of Feb 2008. It is a cold but tolerable evening. I am also on the clock, but taking an extended “lunch-break” from work. I have chosen to do a study on the sports fan but chose to narrow it down to ones that frequent this bar to watch sporting events on TV. This will be a difficult piece for me to write objectively about, as I am a sports fan as well. I hope to answer some questions regarding some stereotypes about sports fans. Some hopefully will be a lot different than what I expect.
I enter the location and am greeted by a great looking waitress. I will find that this is a recurring theme every time I visit. She leads me over to a dining area booth. I think about objecting and opting for a seat at the bar. I figure this will be my best vantage point to observe fans watching their team(s) or just a great game in general. I digress and accept the booth instead. She drops a menu onto the table and asks if I would like something to drink. I ask for water and she stops by another table before going to the back. As I am getting my note taking materials ready, I look around to see a reasonable gathering of people in the establishment tonight. Out of the five tables in the dining area with me, only one table was seriously watching any of the games being broadcasted on the 15 televisions throughout the bar. Between the low hum of conversations by the families (none of which had small children) seated in the dining area, the shouts coming from the bar area and the cheesy rock music playing on the radio, it was tough to listen in on some conversations. The volume was liable to change at any given time depending on how many people are paying attention when a great or game changing play happens.
The table consisted of three people, a couple and another gentleman. The couple was very immersed in a mixed martial arts fight that was being shown on the largest TV in the dining area. This surprised me. It seemed like the gentleman was attempting to converse with them while they were also focused on watching the fight. I found it odd that the woman was so immersed in the fight. Within the next 5 minutes or so, her attention would wane though, and this would cost her the opportunity to see the live conclusion of the fight. One fighter landed a three-punch combo that took his opponent down. The bar area erupted in cheers, yet only the male half of the couple was paying any attention in the dining area. She jerked her head back from another TV she was watching, waiting for the inevitable replay. She cringed as the fighter went down in a bloody mess.
My waitress came back with my water and asks me if I’m ready to order. Forgetting that this would also be part of the deal with each site visit, I was unprepared with an answer. She noticed the heading of my notes included “Buster’s” and the current date/time. She asked which English class I was taking and I replied 102. I told her I had chosen this as my ethnography topic and she thought that was a good choice. I asked her if she would help me gather some information from around the bar and she was more than happy to do so. I ordered some cheese sticks and waited for her to come back with some answers. During that time I had gotten a chance to really look over the main dining area. There was a Golden Tee arcade machine that is very popular with some sports nuts, especially golfers. It also happened to be located directly behind the booth I was sitting in. My back was to a few guys taking turns on the machine. They seemed to be drinking heavily while ribbing each other after every shot. While waiting for my order, I became intrigued by the pattern that was on each of the booths. They had a series of different sports scenes stitched onto the back cushions. It looked somewhat corny and maybe 70’s or 80’s-ish, but was kind of cool none the less. I noticed that they had BSU Bronco colored awnings over the booth areas as well. The walls were covered in jerseys from past BSU Bronco greats, with some of them even autographed by the players. They also have older college football programs from the 50’s and 60’s.
It was about this time I noticed a sign on the wall. It was an older Buster’s sign that had a waitress that was dressed provocatively while holding pitchers of beer. I look over at the five waitresses working tonight and notice little difference. My waitress comes back with my appetizer and some scoops on what is going on in the bar area. Most people are watching an NCAA basketball game. I can see about a third of the area in the bar. Some engage in taunting a friend after game altering plays. One fellow is watching a Utah Jazz game. He is sitting at the bar tipping back some whiskey. He is getting really excited as they are on their way to a 20-point route. And why wouldn’t he be? He appears to be a die-hard fan with a Utah Jazz hat and a John Stockton T-shirt on. I ask my waitress if she can find out if he will be in later this week. She tells me that she doesn’t even have to ask, he will be. I hope to possibly interview him during my next visit.
I am surprised when two women walk in that were probably in their 40’s or 50’s. I wouldn’t expect them to want to dine in a place where women are more objectified than some other places. I also wouldn’t take them for sports fans either. They seem oblivious to the atmosphere though and continue their conversation in the dining area.
At this point another guy comes into the place. He has a backpack on and is being taken to another booth across the room from me. I feel a lot better about not being the only one here to get some homework done. I take that feeling to another level knowing that I am also getting paid for my time here. I now decide that I will do my 2nd site visit tonight as well, which will consist of another hour. Some people have paid little attention to me, while some are definitely aware that I have been “eyeing” them and subsequently jotting down notes. I try not to pay any attention to weird looks given back at me.
The smell of fried food and alcohol is heavy in the air. I hope my cheese sticks are on their way. I also wish I could have a Crown and Coke but I am on the clock etc. I turn my attention to the bar area as there seems to be a lot of action going on. I am watching at least some of the games that they are watching, so I’m trying to keep up with what they may be oohing and ahhing about. I see some people sporting team colors and/or gear, so they are easy to figure out. The rest of them would be a little bit harder. I notice some people cheering exclusively for underdogs, or possibly a team that their buddy’s team might be playing. Some people are also just looking for quality competition. They don’t really care about the teams that are playing, they just want to see the games played the right way and with a lot of effort.
Ok, that was the two page point and even though I can write more right now, I will stop because I’m not even sure if this is going in the direction that you are going to want etc. I’ll just wait for some feedback and figure out what to do from there. This is where testing out of 101 is going to leave me in the unknown as far as if I’m doing this right or not. That and not having a really defined set of objectives or goals for my ethnography other than trying to get a passing grade.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Research Blog Post (Artifacts/Site visits 3 & 4)
I have done two site visits since my last post. Both were set in the bar area this time around. One time was at the bar itself for the majority of the evening and the other just in the dining area of the bar. The bar area itself is very similar to the main dining area in the aspect of having BSU Bronco memorabilia scattered on the walls. I have taken some pictures of the more popular Jerseys, some of which were signed by the players.
The sites, sounds and smells are all very familiar at this point. I can always smell fresh chicken strips when they are brought out, probably more than any other item that is served. One night they played a lot of music that I was a fan of, but the other I had to concentrate on other things to be able to drown it out. I learned about a collage of pictures that they had posted on a series of bulletin boards on one wall. Apparently every once in awhile they have some type of dress up night where all of the wait staff dresses in the appropriate costumes or getups for whatever event it may be. From what I could gather though, it was just a bunch of ass and boob shots. Some patrons were even getting some good gropes on that happened to land on film and subsequently were posted on the boards. The waitress suggested I get a zoom of some of those pictures, which I did to the best of my camera phone’s abilities.
There are two more artifacts that I would consider vital to this place. One is the electronics area behind the bar area. It is a stack of Dish receivers that control all of the different TVs. There is also some DJ type equipment, as well as the controls to the varying types of music that may be playing. I feel this is extremely important, as without this equipment, no one would be showing up to watch all of the games. It would be just another bar, like Boise needs another one of those.
The last artifact that I do wish I could bring in, is the Buster’s original sign. It’s a picture I described in my first post, of the old school 50’s diner type girl, in a short skirt serving up cold beer. In my opinion that is exactly what this place is all about. From my observations so far, most people come strictly for that. I’ve talked to a lot of people in my time here and almost every conversation, even if just a little bit, mentions the skimpy attire on the wait staff.
I don’t really think some of the other questions relating to the different artifacts apply to my particular study. Most I cannot hold or feel. Not many could be compared to anything other than what they are. I will try to find out if my interpretations of them are different than a normal patron’s.
I was more fortunate during site visit 4 than any of my other ones. I ended up doing a lot of partial or small interviews with some patrons, as well as seeing a packed crowd in for a few big games. I was also able to watch some more guys try cheesy pickup lines on the wait staff. Some of the waitresses played it off smoothly or maybe even went along just a little bit. These were typically rewarded with decent sized tips. The wait staff that decided to roll their eyes and walk away were given little to nothing depending on how slighted the gentleman felt. I still can’t get over the odd interactions that happen between the waitresses and the patrons. It seems as much as I tried to observe other things, the most intriguing were the interactions. Some of my buddies that I went with for site visit 4 were trying to coerce our waitress to take some pictures with us for my paper/blog post. She wasn’t going for it by any means. She also looked at me somewhat oddly for writing page after page of observations down. I can understand as the place was packed any everyone else was carrying on about the games that were televised. In the end though she lightened up and was the one that informed us of the collage. She also suggested we come down on April fool’s day for their next dress up night. Even though this project may be said and done by then, I may just have to see what’s going on.
The sites, sounds and smells are all very familiar at this point. I can always smell fresh chicken strips when they are brought out, probably more than any other item that is served. One night they played a lot of music that I was a fan of, but the other I had to concentrate on other things to be able to drown it out. I learned about a collage of pictures that they had posted on a series of bulletin boards on one wall. Apparently every once in awhile they have some type of dress up night where all of the wait staff dresses in the appropriate costumes or getups for whatever event it may be. From what I could gather though, it was just a bunch of ass and boob shots. Some patrons were even getting some good gropes on that happened to land on film and subsequently were posted on the boards. The waitress suggested I get a zoom of some of those pictures, which I did to the best of my camera phone’s abilities.
There are two more artifacts that I would consider vital to this place. One is the electronics area behind the bar area. It is a stack of Dish receivers that control all of the different TVs. There is also some DJ type equipment, as well as the controls to the varying types of music that may be playing. I feel this is extremely important, as without this equipment, no one would be showing up to watch all of the games. It would be just another bar, like Boise needs another one of those.
The last artifact that I do wish I could bring in, is the Buster’s original sign. It’s a picture I described in my first post, of the old school 50’s diner type girl, in a short skirt serving up cold beer. In my opinion that is exactly what this place is all about. From my observations so far, most people come strictly for that. I’ve talked to a lot of people in my time here and almost every conversation, even if just a little bit, mentions the skimpy attire on the wait staff.
I don’t really think some of the other questions relating to the different artifacts apply to my particular study. Most I cannot hold or feel. Not many could be compared to anything other than what they are. I will try to find out if my interpretations of them are different than a normal patron’s.
I was more fortunate during site visit 4 than any of my other ones. I ended up doing a lot of partial or small interviews with some patrons, as well as seeing a packed crowd in for a few big games. I was also able to watch some more guys try cheesy pickup lines on the wait staff. Some of the waitresses played it off smoothly or maybe even went along just a little bit. These were typically rewarded with decent sized tips. The wait staff that decided to roll their eyes and walk away were given little to nothing depending on how slighted the gentleman felt. I still can’t get over the odd interactions that happen between the waitresses and the patrons. It seems as much as I tried to observe other things, the most intriguing were the interactions. Some of my buddies that I went with for site visit 4 were trying to coerce our waitress to take some pictures with us for my paper/blog post. She wasn’t going for it by any means. She also looked at me somewhat oddly for writing page after page of observations down. I can understand as the place was packed any everyone else was carrying on about the games that were televised. In the end though she lightened up and was the one that informed us of the collage. She also suggested we come down on April fool’s day for their next dress up night. Even though this project may be said and done by then, I may just have to see what’s going on.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Research Blog Post (Interview #1)
I did my first interview with a character we will call Johnny Utah. He was a huge sports fanatic. He was also someone that frequents the place very regularly. I was surprised how well the interview went. I have learned that some people take this stuff very seriously. I asked him if he was a sports nut and his response was this: “I’m more devoted to the teams I love more than anyone else. I wake up earlier than I have to so I can watch Sportscenter before school or work. I visit ESPN.com at least 4-10 times per day. I also play sports at least 5 times a week.” Something that I learned from this interview and some other conversations I’ve had is that some people are still very bitter about stuff that happened a long time ago. While talking to him about his favorite sports teams, I learned that he was still bitter about Michael Jordan and the Bulls of 1998 when he famously pushed off Byron Russell to hit the game winning jumper against the Utah Jazz. I mean this was ten years ago, yet it still burns fiercely in this young man’s head.
I imagine most people gain interest in their favorite teams from something or someone that influenced them as a young child. Johnny Utah was no different. His grandmother who has recently passed raised their family on the Green Bay Packers. She watched the first three super bowls and was hooked ever since. That has carried down as family tradition and anyone that disputes the Packers in anyway were subject to numerous taunts and belittling that could last all day. Another thing I learned was how superstitious some sports fans can be. He has a Green Bay jersey that he refuses to wear on game day, as they have not won any of the times he has worn it while watching the game. He also has a Miami Heat jersey that they are supposedly undefeated when he wears it. Another tradition that he carries on is not watching a Green Bay Packer game with any non-Green Bay fan. “It just ruins the atmosphere and the karma we need for the game,” he says.
I asked him why he chose Buster’s as his preferred location to partake in the watching of various sporting events. His response was “I love the atmosphere. It is also 2 blocks from my house. I can get as hammered as I want and stagger home.” He also likes the young girls with not a lot of clothes on. “It doesn’t cost a lot to partake in the activities here, plus the other regulars enjoy the same things I do.” He also compared himself to the Cliff or Norm types from the classic TV show Cheers as far as how well he is known at this establishment.
The only thing I would do different for the next interview is make sure I was prepared with more questions. That was definitely my fault, but with my crappy schedule, I was unprepared once the interview started. Most of the initial questions I had led to further questions which was nice. But I think I could have gotten 5 times what I had, with just some more prepped questions. I also wish I would have gone the tape recorder route for the entire conversation, again my fault. He was however very courteous when he noticed I hadn’t caught up to him during his responses. He would slow down or stop all together until I did catch up. I do plan on a follow up interview with some more questions that I have. I didn’t get to talk to him about the involvement of alcohol and what role it plays during sports viewing. I am planning on going down there tonight (2-25) and tomorrow so I can catch up on my site visits. Hopefully I will run into him at least one of those nights. I also plan on a visit on the 29th as there is a very big NBA game that will be televised. I know for sure he will be there during that night.
I imagine most people gain interest in their favorite teams from something or someone that influenced them as a young child. Johnny Utah was no different. His grandmother who has recently passed raised their family on the Green Bay Packers. She watched the first three super bowls and was hooked ever since. That has carried down as family tradition and anyone that disputes the Packers in anyway were subject to numerous taunts and belittling that could last all day. Another thing I learned was how superstitious some sports fans can be. He has a Green Bay jersey that he refuses to wear on game day, as they have not won any of the times he has worn it while watching the game. He also has a Miami Heat jersey that they are supposedly undefeated when he wears it. Another tradition that he carries on is not watching a Green Bay Packer game with any non-Green Bay fan. “It just ruins the atmosphere and the karma we need for the game,” he says.
I asked him why he chose Buster’s as his preferred location to partake in the watching of various sporting events. His response was “I love the atmosphere. It is also 2 blocks from my house. I can get as hammered as I want and stagger home.” He also likes the young girls with not a lot of clothes on. “It doesn’t cost a lot to partake in the activities here, plus the other regulars enjoy the same things I do.” He also compared himself to the Cliff or Norm types from the classic TV show Cheers as far as how well he is known at this establishment.
The only thing I would do different for the next interview is make sure I was prepared with more questions. That was definitely my fault, but with my crappy schedule, I was unprepared once the interview started. Most of the initial questions I had led to further questions which was nice. But I think I could have gotten 5 times what I had, with just some more prepped questions. I also wish I would have gone the tape recorder route for the entire conversation, again my fault. He was however very courteous when he noticed I hadn’t caught up to him during his responses. He would slow down or stop all together until I did catch up. I do plan on a follow up interview with some more questions that I have. I didn’t get to talk to him about the involvement of alcohol and what role it plays during sports viewing. I am planning on going down there tonight (2-25) and tomorrow so I can catch up on my site visits. Hopefully I will run into him at least one of those nights. I also plan on a visit on the 29th as there is a very big NBA game that will be televised. I know for sure he will be there during that night.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Research Blog Post on Site Visit 1&2
I have chosen to narrow down sports fans in general, instead choosing just the sports fans that frequent Buster’s at the Broadway location. I don’t know that this will be a useful study per say, but I do think it will be interesting on varying levels. Unfortunately for my first site visit, there wasn’t a BIG time game or event going on. This instead led to a pretty casual fan type atmosphere. By the time my first site visit (did 2 hours for the first one/two) ended I noticed that a lot of my notes centered on the interactions between the patrons and the scantily clad wait staff.
The first visit was mainly set in the dining area as I tried to gather as much information about the place as possible. I had a friendly waitress who helped gather some information for me around the place as she was moving from table to table. The next time I visit, I plan on staking out the bar area and hoping to see more fan interaction. I also plan to attend on a night when there is some bigger type event. I may choose the NBA All-Star event for tonight, but I’m not sure what type of a turnout that may bring. I know that next week some nights are going to be very good for observations, but they also happen to be during the time I am working. So I guess it looks like I will be getting paid to also watch some sports/fans. This may be the greatest topic I have ever been able to turn into a paper for a grade.
I thought about possibly focusing on the interactions of the wait staff and their seemingly adoring fans, but I decided in the end that may get me into more trouble than it could be worth. I think I will just count it as a nice side benefit of the ethnography and maybe include a few of the best ones in the final paper. Some things I plan on paying special attention to in the future site visits are the differences of an inebriated fan compared to a sober fan. Curious to see how many lushes are “going to town” during a game, opposed to a casual/sober fan. I also want to see if one fans team’s performance, good or bad, affects how much alcohol they decide to partake in.
Some questions about the community that will have to be answered by a regular attendee of Buster’s are numerous. I do want to find out why they choose Buster’s as their desired location to watch sporting events. Is it location? The ridiculously gorgeous hotties that may be there? Maybe they are loyal for some other reason. I also want to find out if there is a bigger fan base of one particular team (or sport) other than the BSU Broncos, which frequents the location.
I plan on doing interviews with at least 3 people at this point. A waitress, a bar keep, and someone that is obviously an insane fanatic (which I have not picked out yet). I will probably end up doing 3-5 short 5-10 min interviews with sports fans that have interested me during observations.
The first visit was mainly set in the dining area as I tried to gather as much information about the place as possible. I had a friendly waitress who helped gather some information for me around the place as she was moving from table to table. The next time I visit, I plan on staking out the bar area and hoping to see more fan interaction. I also plan to attend on a night when there is some bigger type event. I may choose the NBA All-Star event for tonight, but I’m not sure what type of a turnout that may bring. I know that next week some nights are going to be very good for observations, but they also happen to be during the time I am working. So I guess it looks like I will be getting paid to also watch some sports/fans. This may be the greatest topic I have ever been able to turn into a paper for a grade.
I thought about possibly focusing on the interactions of the wait staff and their seemingly adoring fans, but I decided in the end that may get me into more trouble than it could be worth. I think I will just count it as a nice side benefit of the ethnography and maybe include a few of the best ones in the final paper. Some things I plan on paying special attention to in the future site visits are the differences of an inebriated fan compared to a sober fan. Curious to see how many lushes are “going to town” during a game, opposed to a casual/sober fan. I also want to see if one fans team’s performance, good or bad, affects how much alcohol they decide to partake in.
Some questions about the community that will have to be answered by a regular attendee of Buster’s are numerous. I do want to find out why they choose Buster’s as their desired location to watch sporting events. Is it location? The ridiculously gorgeous hotties that may be there? Maybe they are loyal for some other reason. I also want to find out if there is a bigger fan base of one particular team (or sport) other than the BSU Broncos, which frequents the location.
I plan on doing interviews with at least 3 people at this point. A waitress, a bar keep, and someone that is obviously an insane fanatic (which I have not picked out yet). I will probably end up doing 3-5 short 5-10 min interviews with sports fans that have interested me during observations.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Research Blog Post #4
In the short reading “The Interview: Learning how to Ask,” I learned several things that I feel will help me in the long run. It starts off by giving several examples of open and closed questions, while also informing you why/when you should use each type. Typically closed questions can end up turning someone off during the interview and ending it sooner than you may like. Open questions give you a chance to really listen to your informant and gain information that you may have missed otherwise.
The 2nd part of the reading was “The Interview: Learning how to Listen.” It mentioned that the key to obtaining a great interview was following three simple steps; using open questions, background research and having a genuine interest in your informant. It also stressed keeping your informant at the forefront of the conversation. You want to constantly be gaining new information by asking questions and using positive body language to show that you are very interested. If you let your eyes wander or twiddle your thumbs, your subject may become as disinterested in the interview as you are appearing to be. You should also look for opportunities to get the informants to reveal themselves to you.
The “Interviewing Part 1” module showed an example interview with some things that were done correctly and some that were not. It did show very well how closed questions lead to short and concise answers. They did not contribute to any back and forth dialogue. Also building rapport was something that didn’t happen. Without this, you will not be able to find all of the opportunities to get the subject to open up without really asking them to directly.
The five main strategies that I will end up following were mostly described above. I will use mostly open-ended questions and only use closed questions when I am trying to get a simple or short answer from the subject. I will also try very hard to listen to everything they say. I am going to try and get a cheap recorder before my first interview, so that way I can take shorter notes and fill in the rest later. This should give more opportunity to converse back and forth. I will also focus on my body language as this is something that I know will make or break an interview. I will also have a set number of basic questions before I do the interview. This will allow me to progress through the interview, but also leave me room to go off on other tangents that are brought up. The final thing I will use has been stressed throughout each reading we have read so far, which is paying attention to as much detail as you possibly can.
I do not have a potential interview subject yet, but will have one ideally tomorrow or the next time I do a site visit (before Thursday).
The 2nd part of the reading was “The Interview: Learning how to Listen.” It mentioned that the key to obtaining a great interview was following three simple steps; using open questions, background research and having a genuine interest in your informant. It also stressed keeping your informant at the forefront of the conversation. You want to constantly be gaining new information by asking questions and using positive body language to show that you are very interested. If you let your eyes wander or twiddle your thumbs, your subject may become as disinterested in the interview as you are appearing to be. You should also look for opportunities to get the informants to reveal themselves to you.
The “Interviewing Part 1” module showed an example interview with some things that were done correctly and some that were not. It did show very well how closed questions lead to short and concise answers. They did not contribute to any back and forth dialogue. Also building rapport was something that didn’t happen. Without this, you will not be able to find all of the opportunities to get the subject to open up without really asking them to directly.
The five main strategies that I will end up following were mostly described above. I will use mostly open-ended questions and only use closed questions when I am trying to get a simple or short answer from the subject. I will also try very hard to listen to everything they say. I am going to try and get a cheap recorder before my first interview, so that way I can take shorter notes and fill in the rest later. This should give more opportunity to converse back and forth. I will also focus on my body language as this is something that I know will make or break an interview. I will also have a set number of basic questions before I do the interview. This will allow me to progress through the interview, but also leave me room to go off on other tangents that are brought up. The final thing I will use has been stressed throughout each reading we have read so far, which is paying attention to as much detail as you possibly can.
I do not have a potential interview subject yet, but will have one ideally tomorrow or the next time I do a site visit (before Thursday).
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Research Blog Post 3
After reading the 3 articles on the basics of becoming a good ethnographer, I came away very surprised on the actual amount of notes that are taken but not used. I was also insanely worried that I may not actually be able to come up with that much time to take notes that only 5-20% will actually be used in the final draft. Definitely a shocker. Regardless, the information in each of the articles gave me a great idea on where to start. As someone that hasn’t taken 101, I am literally clueless on what to do and this is basically all I could ask for as far as guidance. The general theme on each of the example pieces was an extreme amount of detail regarding the environments. I wouldn’t have even thought to record some of the information that they did. They also mentioned that the assistance of a colleague that was willing to go over your notes/research daily was a great help in gaining more information in the long run.
The most important information was the mention of several different types of systems to record your work. It was stressed several times that you needed to be able to find specific pieces of information in a timely fashion, even if you have a large pile of research to go through. Personally I thought the method of labeling every person with a letter/number combination would be incredibly hard to decipher in the end as well as extremely outdated. Another important point was the fact that there is no true method that is set in stone to gather your research material. It’s something that has to be tailored to the individual doing the research. I am still yet undecided on which method I will end up choosing, but this definitely pointed me in the right direction.
The most important information was the mention of several different types of systems to record your work. It was stressed several times that you needed to be able to find specific pieces of information in a timely fashion, even if you have a large pile of research to go through. Personally I thought the method of labeling every person with a letter/number combination would be incredibly hard to decipher in the end as well as extremely outdated. Another important point was the fact that there is no true method that is set in stone to gather your research material. It’s something that has to be tailored to the individual doing the research. I am still yet undecided on which method I will end up choosing, but this definitely pointed me in the right direction.
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