Joining the Faithful

This research work examined the Saskatchewan Roughriders fan subculture and their connection to public ownership. It was socially significant to study this particular case because not much scholarly work has been done on the effects public ownership can have on a group of fans. This thesis studied this relationship in two ways. First, a political-economical study of Canadian professional sport was conducted to display how professional franchises are run across the country. Specifically, this research focused on three areas in Canadian professional sport: the CFL, the NHL, and Toronto-based franchises. Secondly, using semi-structured interviews and content analysis, this research then identified the common features of the subculture and whether or not this was aided by the presence of public ownership in Saskatchewan. At the same time, participants were questioned on the strengths and weaknesses of public ownership to determine its visibility to those involved with the subculture.