Article



Dados vol. 43 n. 1 Rio de Janeiro 2000

Soccer, clans, and nation

Machado, Igor José de Renó

Abstract

In an exploration of aspects of soccer and nation in Brazil, the article demonstrates how soccer serves to organize and classify reality by dividing the world into clan-teams. Approaching soccer as more than a metaphor, the article analyzes soccer teams as clans that are parts of a specific universe, where people are divided according to their support for a given team. As a system for classifying reality within people’,s day-to-day lives, this universe brings people together and transforms vertical relationships into horizontal ones. Lastly, the article analyzes the relation between this type of classification and the construction of the Brazilian nation. The main purpose is to propose new issues and approaches pertinent to a sociological reading of Brazilian soccer.

Keywords: soccer, nation, sociology of sports

DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582000000100006

Full text

Soccer, clans, and nation