34 The Heartbreak Of Indian Fans after the ICC Cricket Worldcup 2023 Final

The Heartbreak Of Indian Fans after the ICC Cricket

Worldcup 2023 Final

Comprehensive Analysis

Adnan Syed 6706469

COMM 3P18

Professor Derek Foster

Brock University

Thursday December 14th, 2023

The International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup represents a significant tournament in which nations around the world compete against one another in a competitive match. These matches are commonly referred to as one-day internationals (ODIs) since they continue 50 overs. The competition was held in India this year which involved every national team participating in ten various venues in each of the states (Sharma, 2023). The Indian team had an amazing successful competition gaining all of their aligns and entering the finals. The Indian team was in control of each game of the competition encouraging joy and enthusiasm in the entire nation with their outstanding performances. Unfortunately in the final against the Australian team, they won and India lost. The analysis helped to investigate the study of the behavior of the fans of the Indian cricket team. The history of the Indian fans’ response to similar circumstances assists in clarifying the reasoning of why the fans operated the way they did as well as identifying the issue depending upon their recent behaviours. The extensive research shows the elements of dark participation, digital disagreement, and trolling within the setting of toxic and reactionary fandom from the aftermath of the Indian cricket team’s tragic loss. The investigation of the increase in actions, emotions, and energy expressed by the fans after the game, the research seeks to clarify the complex relationships among these elements in the context of today’s sports culture. Given how quickly the incident occurred it is essential to comprehend its importance in determining the way the Indian audience engagement invested the majority to this incident. The audiences went through a wave of emotions that swept the nation as they aspired to win the 2023 tournament.

The game of cricket in India is very well known and people religiously follow this sport. Fans have shown a tremendous amount of interest in supporting the Indian cricket team. There are numerous players who they follow and talk about by investing their time. Fans have shown a lot of support to their favorite players, as well as a lot of toxicity towards the Indian cricket team in the past. They were referring back to the ICC World Cup tournament in 2011 hosted by India. Fans were extremely happy as India had won that World Cup. One of the fans stated, “Hours after MS Dhoni’s iconic six, I joined my colleagues and went out for dinner in the early hours of Sunday morning. Mumbai never sleeps but the fervor of the city that evening has stayed with me” (Gupta, 2023). This shows that fans were so happy after winning the World Cup. The last time India had won a World Cup before this was in 1983 when the team was led by captain Kapil Dev (Ansari, 2023). After India won the 2011 World Cup, fans had higher hopes for the team since they had won after such a long time. A newer and younger generation was more interested in the game of cricket and the pressure was always on the Indian cricket team as all eyes were on them. After the team lost the 2015 and 2019 World Cup, Indian fans became more excited about the 2023 World Cup as it was taking place at home. India had an outstanding tournament after winning every single game. The fans all over the country were extremely happy and excited with the teams’ overall performance during the tournament. We can see that the majority of Indians love the game of cricket and how passionate they are. A win against any team whether it is a major game or not shows how much they care about the result. The Indian players have also shown their passion in the field after their performances. Sourav Ganguly who was the Indian captain in the year 2002 showed an act of tit-for-tat against the England national team. It was stated in an article that, “after Zaheer Khan hit the winning runs, Ganguly swung his India jersey, baring his torso as he hurled invective, delivering a tit-for-tat after Flintoff celebrated topless at the Wankhede Stadium during England’s tour of India” (Pathak, 2023). It created a movement where players were also involved by showing their passion and aggression on the field getting the fans entertained and having discussions about the sport. It makes sense why cricket is so popular in India as the country has one of the largest world populations. The game of cricket has been a major influence on the older and newer generations. After losing the the finals, this is where the problem began as the audience had shown sports fandom, anti-fandom, toxic fandom, consumer fandom, and reactionary fandom throughout this tournament.

There were several viral clips of fans showing their frustration with the team after losing the tournament. After doing extensive research it is evident to witness and create an analysis of the audience activity. The increase in actions, emotions, and energy expressed by the fans led to various acts of toxic and reactionary fandom, immense trolling, digital disagreement, and dark participation.

After the devastating loss of the Indian cricket team, we can see various acts of toxic and reactionary fandom, immense trolling, digital disagreement, and dark participation. One of the primary behaviors of Indian cricket fans has been toxic fandom, Whether directed at players on the same team or players from various international cricket teams. It was previously an accepted norm and persists to be so now. Within the fandom community, this sort of behavior has become widespread. First, we need to understand what toxic fandom is and the reason why it exists. After doing some research, it was simpler to comprehend why fans might be toxic towards their team and exhibit hypocrisy. A research paper included information about how the television series Rick and Morty fans were toxic. This study expressed one of the variables of toxic fandom. It states that “First, as Stockel-Walker (2017) has demonstrated, it focuses on-status-seeking, or the desire to be seen superior to others…”(Evangelista, 2019, p.4). This shows that toxic fans tend to have a sense of creating a hate movement to feel superior about the situation. There is a tendency for particular members of fan communities, mostly those who are highly dedicated or competitive, to act in actions that are meant to demonstrate their superiority over others in the community. Similarly, admirers of India showed their displeasure online by making derogatory remarks about the team following their defeat in the World Cup. We can see their behavior and their toxicity on social media. An article from the Sport Bible shows the disappointment in Indian fans, giving us a glimpse of their raw emotions. A fan commented on X saying, “Safe to say that India is the new chokers of world cricket” (Callaghan,2023). When reading the comments, we can see due to the intense sense of loyalty to the cricket team, fans were disappointed as they have an emotional bond with the team. Hence, the derogatory remarks were made making it a category of toxic fandom. Due to the high expectations from the team winning every single game to then losing resulted in the fans giving out severe criticism.

The second concept the fans have shown in their behavior relates to reactionary fandom. According to a research study it stated that, “‘Reactionary fandom’ does not simply describe fan communities that embrace right-leaning politics but reactionary communities and movements that adopt fannish practices (Dannar, 2023). From this, we understand that reactionary fans can essentially have a major impact on various events that take place and create a discussion that can be widespread among the communities. After a specific incident takes place, the reaction of fans can shape the entire setting in fan communities. They discuss their opinions and share them online with other members who may have the same or different views on the topic. Reactionary fandom could attract new fans to a community as different reactions from individuals can establish a trend. Regardless if the reaction is perceived as positive or negative, other individuals can be influenced by one another leading to similar or different actions. Similarly, during the duration of the game, fans were extremely quiet as the odds had been completely against them. Before the game had started, all of the fans were cheering all excited wearing their blue Indian jerseys in support of the team. However, the atmosphere was completely silent throughout the game. We can see this as fans were extremely disheartened throughout the game. It had led to the point where fans had got up and left their seats as they knew they were about to lose. They did not even stay for the post-match presentation ceremony. Looking back at the concept of reactionary fandom we can see how each person in the stadium was influenced by one another. Hence, there was a disappointing atmosphere which led to fans leaving the stadium. However, some of the fans were extremely furious after witnessing this reaction from the spectators.

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.1 shows a tweet from an Indian cricket team fan and expresses his disappointment. He stated, “Quite pathetic of the crowd that’s already left the stadium. This team played like a dream for a month and a half. They — and world champions Australia — deserve a proper ovation at the end of this incredible match. Not empty seats” (Pathak, 2023).

This shows that through different reactions of the Indian fanbase, we are not only able to witness the disappointment but also the support from other fans. This was very interesting to analyze as we can see the wholesome emotional bond they have with their players and they understand that the team needs their support more than anyone else.

Diving into the next key concept, trolling is a very common practice in the online community of various fans and individuals in general. The act of trolling can be seen to get attention from other members online and these usually include individuals with an anonymous identity. Their main aim is to harass other fan communities or individuals that influence other people. It is stated that, “Conversely, trolling is predicted on a sort of performative detachment, describing someone whose ‘real intention(s) is/are to cause disruption and/or to trigger and exacerbate conflict for the purpose of their own amusement’”(Scott, 2018, p. 144). Indian fans have also participated in trolling other players during the tournament. A great example of this can be between India against Pakistan. This is a massive rivalry between the two nations as both sides have extreme passion for the game. India and Pakistan have been rivals for years not only when it comes to the game but also in terms of national political situations. Both of these countries have been having political issues for a very long time. Therefore, the aftermath of this match is the deciding factor as to which team gets to get under whose skin as both of these sides do not hold back. India had defeated Pakistan in a very dominant fashion which led to Indian fans trolling the Pakistani cricket team and their fans.

Figure 1.2

Figure 1.2 is just a glimpse of how Indian fans troll the Pakistan cricket team and their fans to get under their skin. We can relate it back to the statement mentioned that trolling is a way to cause disruption and/or to trigger and exacerbate conflict for their amusement. It is mainly to gain attention from other communities as a form of entertainment. From this, we can see that Indian fans do not hold back when it comes to trolling their opposition. This is also a form of toxic behaviour trolling can also be seen as an act to express their superiority over others. However, fans love to engage in such behavior as it establishes who they are as a community. All of them sort of show a sense of unity through their emotional investment and passion they have for their team. The circumstances of the political and historical tension between India and Pakistan involve fans more as they are extremely attached to the point where it is just not a game. It comes down to their pride as a whole country.

Unfortunately, dark participation is a common issue in the online community. This concept completely crosses all the lines of ugly fandom. It is extremely concerning for not just fans, but also the online community in general as it condones hate speech and harassment. It could be a threat to an individual who is a part of a specific religion, nationality, gender identity, and many more aspects. This can be seen from a study conducted about dark participation which it mentioned, “…dark participation range from misinformation and hate campaigns to individual trolling and cyberbullying” (Quandt, 2018). These types of fan activities can be extremely harmful to society. It can be a major threat as if acts like these are not condemned, then fans and members in the online community in general will normalize such acts. The Indian fans have faced a tremendous amount of backlash after their behavior towards Australian cricket players. The situation got out of control to the point where fans started to harass, abuse, and even give rape threats to their wives. Glenn Maxwell’s wife who is an Indian descent received a ton of threats and hate messages on her Instagram. She mentioned on her Instagram story, “Can’t believe this needs to be said BUT you can be Indian and also support the country of your birth where you have been raised and more importantly the team your husband and father of your child plays in #nobrainer” (Web Desk, 2023).

The same article mentions a tweet from an individual explaining how some fans even went on giving rape threats to Travis Head’s one-year-old daughter. It is very sad to see fans going to such an extent in support of their team to the point where they are crossing all boundaries as it is completely unethical. Cricket is a sport where fans from other countries must unite together and support their teams while having respect for one another. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the Indian cricket team’s loss has caused immense chaos in terms of fan engagement.

The last and final concept for this analysis includes digital dissensus and how audience activity has led to this. The use of digital dissensus, it is a way where individuals can come online and share their views. This usually consists of disagreements on social media platforms such as X. For better understanding, we can get a more detailed explanation of digital dissensus. A study on digital dissensus mentions, “Social media acts as an intensifier, and the fans are the people you hear the most often and associate most with a cultural or political property in the digital dissensus” (Andrews, 2020). Initially, we can comprehend that social media platforms acts as the modern-day public sphere where individuals can come onto the space and discuss their ideas and debate with one another whether it is on threads or comment sections of each post. Everyone thinks differently and has different thoughts which some might agree with and some might not agree with. Similarly, Indian fans have also shown digital dissensus from another incident. A picture of Mitchell Marsh went viral where he had his legs resting on the World Cup trophy. This got the Indian fans fuming as they believed it was a big disrespect to the trophy. Fans went on Twitter to express how they felt about the situation.

Figure 1.3

Figure 1.3 refers to some of the tweets representing the disagreement of fans after Mitchell Marsh’s behavior. A tweet that did stand out was the last one where it said, “It’s really sad when the ones who truly respect the trophy don’t get a chance to touch it, while those who don’t care get multiple chances. Heartbreaking, indeed.” We can see how the fan feels emotional despite the team playing extremely well throughout the tournament. It was a relatable statement to every fan as India did not win the World Cup since 2011.

Another great example can be about the dark participation and immense trolling of fans toward the Australian players’ wives. Harbajan Singh a former cricketer who played for team India also shared his views about the situation and condemned the behaviour of the fans.

Figure 1.4

Figure 1.4 illustrates Harbajan’s views about the entire situation. This was an important statement to make as fans needed to get a view from someone who is extremely influential in the cricket community to stop harassing family members of the opposition team. With the help of digital dissensus, it gives a platform for not only fans to have debates but also players to be involved to give their viewpoints. This allows fans to get more clarity on different situations. The audience activity has been a mixture of emotions as fans have shown immense support toward their team however they have shown traits of ugly fandom after the devastating loss.

In conclusion, a comprehensive analysis can assist the understanding of the fandom could be gained through the examination of fan behavior during the duration of the ICC World Cup 2023, with a particular focus on the Indian cricket team and its supporters. This analysis has brought attention to fan engagement in terms of the passionate support of the team. Therefore, extensive research shows the elements of dark participation, digital disagreement, and trolling within the setting of toxic and reactionary fandom in the aftermath of the Indian cricket team’s tragic loss. The investigation of the increase in actions, emotions, and energy expressed by the fans after the game, the research seeks to clarify the complex relationships among these elements in the context of today’s sports culture. The teams’ excellent performance throughout the tournament and a tragic loss caused the fans to feel extremely disheartened. This led them to express their raw emotions in an impulsive and unethical manner on social media due to the defeat. Cricket without a doubt is a very competitive sport and is watched by Indians all across the globe. However, after looking into the aspects of dark participation, digital disagreement, and trolling within the setting of toxic and reactionary fandom the passion of Indian fans turns into aggression which is the main cause of the problem. We can see this from the unethical behavior towards the opposition team and their significant other. This gives us clarity to identify the positive and negative factors of having such a highly populated fan base. Indian fans must take more accountability in the future with what they say with their words by having control of their emotional attachment to their team. With the use of digital dissensus, fans can have debates with others and share their opinions more civilly. This would create a more welcoming environment for newer fans to be a part of the community.

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