Sport fans are caught between two worlds - one of the heart and one of capital. They claim their team as their own, but in most cases, they pay to get access to their team. In the article linked below, I analyze irrational fandom through the lens of marketing. Fans are consumers who buy their brand (team) in the forms of live performances, merchandise, mediated content and other symbols. Fans feel for their team in spite of the alienating forces of capitalism that might push them away. They live in the world of brandom - in the space between passion and commerce, lifelong loyalty and short term profit. The fans of the Roman football/soccer/calcio team, S.S. Lazio, tried to claim material ownership of their team, but were rebuffed by the authoritative forces of contemporary Italy. Did they have legitimate claims to ownership?
Here is a link to an abstract of the article.
