Ethnographic Research Project Essay

The subject of the ethnographical Research project is F alone-Line Motor blows, a full service graphic symbolicipant in the tugsports industry. Located in Chicagos northerly suburbs, the firm specializes in bucket along, servicing and modifying street and professional highschool performance vehicles such as BMWs, Porsches, Audis, Mercedes-Benz, Corvettes, and other high cease transportation. (F only-Line Motorsports, 2006)In the form of ethnographic research, Fall-Line Motorsports, is subjected to rivet on the sociology of meaning through close field observation of socio heathen phenomena. Typically, observing the motorsport connection (not necessarily geographic, but within the work and moderate leisure environment). Selection of informants or participants who atomic number 18 receiptn to confirm an overview of the deportivities of the community and requesting such informants are asked to identify other informants representative of the community. (Ethnographic Researc h, 2006)S eeral informants/participants are interviewed multiple times within the work environment. The purpose is to use development from previous informants/participants to elicit clarification and deeper responses upon re-interview. The intent of this process is to uncover vernacular cultural understandings related to the environment under get along a line. It should be noted that study utilizes the approach from the point of view of art, i.e. marketing, symbols, images and cultural preservation, i.e. behavior, customs and norms, as a descriptive rather than analytic endeavor. (Ethnographic Research, 2006) cultural immersionObservationAspects of motorsports has had prospicient been considered exclusively European in nature, most notably sports gondolas and grand prix motor speed, began to achieve a level of acceptance that would make them consequential elements of the the Statesn automobile gardening in the years to bring. (Inge, 1989, p. 110)One of the most perceptible practices in the shop environment was the constant human activity. The machine and tools were exactly instruments that served as extensions of the men working around them. The level of concentration was amazingly intense. Empirical analysis yielded high productive output, efficiently, effective craftsmanship entirely second to the explicit dedication and resourcefulness. It was difficult to imagine that any initiation of the same size could match or possible exceed the results of Fall-line Motorsports, grouchyly in the motorcar racing industry.Macro-ethnographyBroadly-Defined Cultural GroupingsMotorsport racing is a sport of addiction. Once you experience it introductory commit, you feel compelled to keep following it. In more(prenominal) object lessons, you quickly identify with a driver, his sponsor, or the make of car he drives. You watch races on television, you scan the risingspaper for articles or photographs, you rede spate on the street wearing a NASCAR T-shir t or cap, you poster numbered decals on the back windows of cars and trucks, you start to recognize (and buy) products based on which ag separate they sponsor. A cultural reading of NASCARs evolution shows that stock car racing has become part of our national consciousness, two accepted and accepted by corporate America and the media. (Bodine et al. 1997, p. 3)Since the very first visit to Fall-line Motorsports, I became completely enthralled with the motorsport business. I saved and pulled together every nickel and dime I could muster in order to acquire the up-to-the-minute and best technology they had to shooter. At that time, my single aspiration in high school was to have the fastest car on campus, and with their help, I achieved my goal. anecdotical analysis of American culture represents motorsports racing as an interesting phenomenon machine-accessible to our romanticism of the old American West. Stock car racing is more than a sport it represents an important elemen t of this nations culture and heritage.It is a sport with ties to the rebellious actions of post-Revolutionary frontiersmen. This is an activity with deep roots, the lines that connect the America of today with the America of yesterday.Breaking NASCARs ties to its traditional Southern denomination capacity be enough to get a culturally and ethnically-diverse earshot occupyd in the sport. Opening new Winston Cup marketsespecially in large urban areas within r all(prenominal) of new facilities, like the calcium Speedway near Los Angeles and Quad-Cities International Raceway Park near Chicagomight be the catalyst to attract minorities as fans and participants. (Bodine et al. 1997, p. 116)ethnographic method involve gaining informantsGathering Of Data In The Form Of ObservationOne particular afternoon presented the opportunity to develop the informant relationship. I went down to Fall-line Motorsports to purchase and have installed a cold air intake. The installation took approximat ely cardinal hours. Upon completion, I paid my bill on a job tumesce d wholeness and left. Like any new device, I felt a real world test was warranted. I found a major(ip) open through fare, position the car in empty, place the respite into first gear and press the accelerator down to the floor.In an winking the bolts to the sub frame ripped off and the several(predicate)ial fell out. Clearly, the only excerption was to return the Fall-line Motorsports. Upon my return, the car was completely incapacitated. Right then, JP, the chief railway locomotiveer wasnt able to repair immediately. However, he drove me home which was quite a distance from the shop. Ironically, the accident and the ride home provided me the opportunity to talk with JP at length about the business, the industry, and the passel of motorsports. Hence, my informant relationship was established.During the conversation, even though motorsports has southern origin attached to it, it was discovered that one of th e first northern drivers to mother success as a NASCAR Grand National competitor was Fred Lorenzen, who was raised in the town of Elmhurst, Illinois, not far from Chicago. Lorenzen became familiar with NASCAR racing while camping out with friends in his parents backyard. (Bodine et al. 1997, p. 67)Micro-ethnographyNarrowly-Defined Cultural GroupingsLocal spectators go through the regional sport commodity over a period of time, with different degrees of intensity of consumption. Consequently some races are enormously more important than others, with different meanings to different viewers or fans depending on their geographical location. and so the standardization of the time length of games and events, and the calendarisation of sport goes hand in hand with its commoditization. Forster, 2004, p.4)So much as the study goes, first hand union is essential, unlike a restaurant guides do not offer the strain of ethnographic information we might wish to have on American food ways, b ut as ephemeral publications that are part of as well as a commentary on popular cultural behavior, they have much to offer the student of American food ways. (Inge, 1989, p. 488) in any case associated within the confines of this world is the mechanic. Steve is one of the mechanism and a honest fan of the sport. He typifies the motorsport fan, family man, calm , Midwestern civility and calmness that carries the day.The group is socially dynamic. It is a sport that thrills and draws by the tens of millions to speedways and television sets each year, insofar we have never considered what the sport means to us as a country, as a community of Americans. Community plays a large part in the sport of stock car racing. The sport itself is a community, one that travels to race tracks all over the country each week. As is the case with transitory social groups, the NASCAR Winston Cup participants look to each other for solidarity. The drivers, mechanics, officials, media people, and famil ies of NASCAR movement about the nation as a community with its own rules, ethics, and etiquette. (Bodine et al. 1997, p. 10) The deepest layer inside the motorsport subject is the driver. One overwriting commonality that stands as an attribute to all who ride in the beast is the rituals practiced by the drivers.Whether it involves the silent act of prayer or wearing certain article of clothing in a particular fashion, the practice is uniform and convincing. It even sometimes involves the people related to the drivers. Before a driver embarks into a race at that place are a series of different rituals that are performed. sucker Boden, 45 years old owner and operator of Fall-Line Motorsports and a driver at Fall-line motorsports, says goodbye to his wife and children before he goes into a race.He consistently walks over to the car to check and recheck the machine as to let his family know of his confidence. With assurance, he says a prayer and is prepared to race. When I go off I tell who ever Im with Ill see you in a little bit or Ill be back. I walk over to my car and check my tire pressure, get my racing suit on, put my helmet on, and drive to the line. As Im driving I start to loose my breath, but by the end of the first lap I am back to normal, say Mark.Emic viewCultural PerceptionThe general competitive balance result stiff unchanged. Underlying the argument is a set of assumptions concerning the behavior of motorsports with respect to the lineament of games (higher uncertainty of outcome leads to higher quality of games). In this scenario, drivers attract fans by winning.JP, head engineer at the firm epitomizes this argument. He is required by the demanding world of motorsports competition to know and understands every aspect of the BMW M3 models in do-gooder to every other car he works on. Within his contend environment, he serves as a critical source of reference for the mechanics and other engineers. Miraculously JP has been able to find solu tions when others have failed. It seems he is able to answer any question posed to him.American racing fans, NASCAR is autoracing, and the on-track exploits of its heroesboth names from the past such as David Pearson, Daryl Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, and Richard Petty, and names of the present such as Jeff Gordon, Jimmie sewerson, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.have, in many quarters, attained a stance bordering on folklore. (Clark et al, 2004) JP understands that the fan is comparing his work, his results with the major competitors. With the shadow of the legends looking over his should, JP designs various move that will enhance the cars performance if other parts arent able to meet Fall-Lines standards.Etic perspectiveNon-Members (Outsiders) PerceiveAfrican American ownership in sports has been a long sought after goal. many another(prenominal) have tried and only a few have succeeded in the multibillion-dollar arenas of professional football, baseball and basketball. Yet, look a little lower on the radar screen and youll see another sport has attracted the attention of a pair of former athletes in an arena not generally frequented by African Americansprofessional auto racing. Washington Erring Motorsports, which recently established its second year on the NASCAB circuit, is being touted as NASCARs first minority-owned race team in over 25 years. (Smith, 2000, p. 28)SymbolsMaterial artifact Of A Culture, Such As Art, Clothing, Or Even TechnologyThe sport, with its noise, dirt, healthy cars, and consumption of alcoholic beverages, became a symbol of the southern way of living. As with Daniels analysis, Johnsons depiction of stock-car racing anchors the activitys origins in deadly speed contests among southern moonshiners and federal revenue officers in the thirties and 1940s. When not outrunning the law, moonshiners participated in informal races between themselves and others interested in automobiles. (Hall, 2002, p. 629)For motorsports, obvious m erchandise opportunities would include t-shirts, hats, and model cars. For landscapes it might be travel packages or hiking gear. Corporate customers might be interested in software, design service or office supplies. Unique content on Artemis Imagess website could be used to draw traffic to other companies sites. Chris and her team planned to pass the content on an annual basis to these sites, creating reach and revenues for Artemis Images. (Bell, 2003, p.173) At work, Steve and Mark only wear a Fall-Line t-shirt and jeans. Clearly branding themselves where ever and when ever they can.National and international sporting events attract millions of fans to the communities that host the events. strange the limited seasons and markets in baseball, basketball, and football, motorsports facilities play host to events throughout most of each year. Major events are held almost weekly throughout the year in the United States, Europe, and other areas of the world. Motorsports is truly inte rnational in scope and stature, and racing attracts millions of fans to areas widely recognized for their involvement in the sport. (Gnuschke, 2004, p. 2)Cultural patterningRelate Symbols crossways Varied Forms Of Behavior And In Varied ContextsBudweiser, Burger King, Cellular South, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Comp Cams, Dominos Pizza, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hertz Rental Equipment, Hilton Properties, Ikon Office Solutions, Kroger, Ledbetter Meats, Millington Telephone connection and the list goes onobviously the list of participating corporate sponsors and mired business partners will increase over the racing season. Some examples of the planetary importance of motorsports include the following excerpts and highlights of studies of motorsports events in the United States and around the world. (Gnuschke, 2004, p. 2) silent knowledgeDeeply-Embedded Cultural BeliefsIt all stated with a simple model, the recipe for a classic American hot rod is simple. First you find the smallest, light est chassis available. Then you add one big American V-8 engine and beefed-up driveline. For good measure, you modify that V-8 to produce even more horsepower. It all started in the 1930s when ingenious American youths (now our grandfathers and fathers) figured out that the new cut through V-8 engine would fit in the smaller and lighter Ford Model A. (Anson, 1996, p.14)In essence, professional motorsports is in the business of entertainment. Instead of artists, you have athletes, which in the case of motorsports are race drivers. The stage and the arena is a racetrack. As a business, the primary motive of any motorsports series is profit. So you need to keep spectators happy which in turn keeps sponsors happy. Also up there in the need-to-keep-happy list are the stars of the show themselves. Because they are the ones whom spectators come to spectate. ( manila paper Bulletin, 2005)Reference(s)http//www2.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/PA765/ethno.htm Ethnographic Research Retrieved 12.06.06h ttp//www.fall-linemotorsports.com Fall-Line MotorSports Retrieved 12.06.06Thomas Inge, 1989, Handbook of American Popular Culture. publishing house Greenwood Press. Place of Publication Westport, CT. rapscallion weigh 110, 488Brett Bodine, Mark D. Howell, 1997, From Moonshine to capital of Wisconsin Avenue A Cultural History of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. newspaper wheel Green State University Popular Press. Place of Publication Bowling Green, OH. knave Number 3, 67, 10, 116John Forster, Nigel K. Ll. Pope, 2004, The Political Economy of Global Sporting Organisations. Publisher Routledge. Place of Publication New York. Page Number 4John M. Clark, T. Bettina Cornwell, Stephen W. Pruitt, 2004, The NASCAR Phenomenon Auto Racing Sponsorships and Shareholder Wealth. Journal rubric Journal of publicise Research. Volume 44. outgrowth 3. Publication Year 2004. Page Number 281+Eric L. Smith, walk 2000, Racing for Dollars. Magazine human activity Black Enterprise. Volume 30. Issu e 8. Page Number 28. COPYRIGHT 2000 Earl G. Graves Publishing Co., Inc.Randal L. Hall, 2002, Before NASCAR The Corporate and civil Promotion of Automobile Racing in the American South, 1903-1927. Journal Title Journal of Southern History. Volume 68. Issue 3. Page Number 629+.Joseph R. Bell, Joan Winn, 2003, Artemis Images Providing nub in the Digital Age. Contributors Journal Title Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Volume 28. Issue 2. Page Number 173+. COPYRIGHT 2003 Baylor UniversityJohn E. Gnuschke, Fall 2004, Economic opposition of the Memphis Motorsports Park. Magazine Title Business Perspectives. Volume 16. Issue 3. Page Number 2+.Mike Anson, 1996, American Tradition of Hot Rodding Lives, Extending to Miatas. Newspaper Title The Washington Times. Page Number 14. COPYRIGHT 1996 News World Communications, Inc capital of the Philippines Bulletin, July 5, 2005, When Sport Gets in the Way of Entertainment. Page Number NA. COPYRIGHT 2005 Manila Bulletin Publishing