Common Reflective Essay DR

Hamilton NP essay 3-224a5c1

NP essay-248h2ct

NP essay-248cdj6

My study was intended to test why the Nashville Predators have become so popular in the State of Tennessee in the past two years.

assumptions: My assumptions were that the initial spike in popularity started with the Playoffs and the Predators making it to the Stanley Cup. I also assumed that Tennesseans were more attracted to the sport and the team because of its different, less proper, culture compared to other hockey teams.

I found that the news focused on the Stanley Cup and the Stanley Cup did cause and original spike, but it was not the main reason for the rise in popularity. My data suggests that the newness and culture of the sport and the team is what has attracted so many new fans.

A quote from the interview that was conducted was, “Fans go to a different hockey game and its more laid back, predators games are crazier than other hockey games and fans are more intense.” This showed me that new fans are attracted to the Predators specifically barbecue of the environment of the games and the team. A Tennessean might have been to another hockey game and while the sport was new and interesting the “proper” culture of the games or team is what may have caused them to not become a part of the hockey fandom for that team. Tennesseans after attending or watching a Nashville Predators game are attracted to the brutally hilarious chants and general craziness of the Predators fan base.

In order to identify why the Nashville Predators have become popular in the State of Tennessee over the past two years an observation and an interview were conducted. In my observation and Interview I was trying to identify why Tennesseans have become so attracted to a sport that most people never grew up watching or playing. The interview and observation were attempting to see what makes Nashville Predators Hockey different and why that might attract more Tennesseans to be fans. In order to collect this data I went to a Nashville Predators Hockey game to observe the environment and culture surrounding the team and the event itself. My interview collected data from a fan of the Nashville Predators to see their perceptive on the team and the sudden rise in popularity. I asked

A correlation I found between my observation and my interview is that Tennesseans are attracted to Predators Hockey because of things that southerners generally enjoy such as the rowdiness and aggressiveness of the games and the fan base. During my observation I found that at the game there were fans that had their shirts off and the chants yelled were things such as “you suck,” and during my interview the interviewee said, “predators games are crazier than other hockey games and fans are more intense”

Question: For my paper, I will be researching why Nashville Predators hockey has had a recent rise in popularity within the State of Tennessee. I will research who are these new fans and why they believe Tennesseans are becoming fans of a team which, two years ago, wasn’t very popular in Tennessee.

Answer: Hockey is a new and exciting game that most Tennesseans never grew up with. It is different. The culture of the Predators fan base is different than any other team it is crazy and rowdy which is an attractive feature to most Tennesseans in their southern culture.

Nick McKenney NP Interview

• Why are you a Nashville Predators fan?
  • Is a fan, the first game went to won at an auction since game become a die hard fan
• Why do you think Predators Hockey has become so popular in Tennessee in recent years?
  • Different sport from what southerners used to. Country fans like new sport, drives growth in the state
• Why are Tennesseans so attracted to Predators Hockey?
  • Country people love big hits
  • Different than anything else, new and fun
• What sets Predators Hockey apart from other teams?
  • Fans, go to a different hockey game and its more laid back, predators games are crazier than other hockey games and fans are more intense, Krazy kyle- makes it more exciting which expands the fan base.
• Were you a previous fan of other teams? If so, why did you leave those fandoms to become a part of the Predators fandom?
  • Was a fan of Toronto maple leafs because lived there moved to Tennessee so made it easier to be a fan.

NP interview consent form -17h39ya

Dane Hamilton, Researcher

Virginia Military Institute

Lexington, Virginia

Phone: 423-326-4034     Email: hamiltondr22@mail.vmi.edu

I give my permission to Dane Hamilton to use my written and spoken words in his research project written for “English 102” at the Virginia Military Institute.

I understand that I may read and approve the final draft of the material he uses about me in his project.

Printed Name: _____________________________________________ Date:_______________________

Signature: _____________________________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone number/Email Address: _____________________________________________________________________

IRB:

For my paper, I will be researching why Nashville Predators hockey has had a recent rise in popularity within the State of Tennessee. I will research who are these new fans and why they are becoming fans of a team which, two years ago, wasn’t very popular in Tennessee.

In order to conduct my research, I will use interviews as well as an observation. For my interviews, I will interview fans who became a part of the Predators fandom at some point during the sudden spike in popularity, and one fan who has been a fan since before this sudden spike in Predators popularity. I will be interviewing fans to see their perspectives about the team itself and why they think the sudden spike in fans is happening. I will also conduct and observation by going to a Predators game to study who goes to these games and what the environment of these games is like to see who the game is targeted to and why people are so interested in becoming fans of this team in particular.

I will be conducting these interviews over the phone, either on facetime, or on a normal call, whichever is best for the interviewee. In my interview, I will ask the following questions:

1. Why are you a Nashville Predators fan?
2. Why do you think Predators Hockey has become so popular in Tennessee in recent years?
3. Why are Tennesseans so attracted to Predators Hockey?
4. What sets Predators Hockey apart from other teams?
5. Were you a previous fan of other teams? If so, why did you leave those fandoms to become a part of the Predators fandom?

Nashville Predators hockey is still on the rise so now is the perfect time to study why the sport and team are becoming so popular in Tennessee. With your permission may I begin my research where I will interview fans as well as observe a Predators game?