When basketball is the second religion: the politics of fandom in Lithuania's most popular team sport

ENThe aim of this article is to examine the political manifestations in the development of Lithuania’s basketball fandom, with particular emphasis on the post-Cold War era of the country’s regained independence and coinciding commercialization of its most popular team sport. Based on a qualitative research methodology, composed of an in-depth analysis of relevant textual sources serving as the primary data collection method and occasional participant observation as the accessory one, this case study demonstrates that broadly understood politics has been a notable feature in the development of the Lithuanian basketball fandom supporting the country’s national team and especially its professional clubs. While in the former case it usually mildly reflected the corresponding state of Lithuania’s foreign policy challenges and debates about national belonging, the club fandom has increasingly become more vocal and organized regarding both domestic and international political matters, often mirroring numerous related trends borrowed from their colleagues in football, including ideological agendas, forms and principles of self-organization, conduct of rivalries and friendships, and adopted political symbols and values. Paradoxically, the ongoing global polycrisis has recently contributed to the country’s most organized club basketball fans’ unprecedented rise as a relevant and recognizable societal phenomenon, with the expression of strong political views on their behalf being a key part of this process. Keywords: basketball, Lithuania, fandom, ideology, identity, resistance, ultras, polycrisis.

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