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Chapter 57
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Fever Pitch, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Obsession vs. Fandom
Sports, Identity, and Community
Escapism
Sports and Masculinity
Summary
Analysis
It is typical at Arsenal games for fans of the opposing team to shout racial slurs, as Arsenal has always had Black players. At this game in 1987, Liverpool fans throw bananas from the stand as a racist gesture towards Arsenal player John Barnes. Nick also often hears anti-Semitic slurs at Arsenal games. He is always angry and ashamed by these remarks, and wishes he were courageous enough, and physically large enough, to confront the perpetrators.
Football hooliganism has been on the rise for a while now, and Nick is often ashamed of the behavior he encounters at games. This aggression and violence is also a result of the toxic masculinity that’s intertwined with football culture.
Themes
