Between culture and subculture: the case of Lithuania's basketball fans

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Tautosaka; Tautosaka; Tradicijos; Pasakojimas; Krepšinis; Folklore; Folk Traditions; Storytelling; Basketball.

ENThere are not that many folkloristes working in Lithuania. Until recently, they have devoted considerable attention to traditional rural culture, which has survived and been observed in Lithuania much longer than in Western Europe. It is therefore not surprising that sports subcultures, which generally considered urban phenomena, have only been examined in a few isolated studies. Contemporary folklore researchers acknowledge that many elements of virtual culture have come to the community of internet users from oral or written traditions. The first academic studies in this area appeared at the end of the last century and there has also been rapid change not only in how information is transferred, but in the ways that it is presented and disseminated. During the last decade, questions around internet folklore have been written about by American and European, especially Eastern European, researchers. Therefore, this article will not delve into debates about the connections between and scale of real and virtual folklore. Rather, we will be exploring concrete examples of these connections - their sources, forms of expression, and goals - that have been noticed during the research process. [Extract, p. 211-212]