Territories of Fandom: a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the supporters clubs association in the City of São Paulo

Abstract

This Project presents a double aim: to map the spatial distribution of the supporter fans association in the metropolitan region of São Paulo city, as well as to offer a social profile of the organized supporters. With a spotlight on the struggle dynamic between the rival groups of soccer fandom, we aim to understand the logic of the spread of the clubs communities feeling of identity in the inner city, focusing on the subgroups of associated fans, that take part in Torcidas organizations.The methodology is based on a reasearch with qualities and quantitatives sources, already developed by the proponent in the universe of supporter associations in Rio de Janeiro. The application of the questionnaires and the collection of the material during the Paulista and Brazilian Championship of 2014 season will be added to the record of about forty hours of testimonials in Oral History within the leaders of the fans associations in the capital city. The research will provide a socio-spatial phenomenon analysis of the identity with the original regions of the supporters, with the creation of the sources to seek the territorial ramification of the respective subgroups and to the reflection on the problematic of the youth violence that surround the professional soccer, as the studies already made by Toledo (1996), Pimenta (1997) and Reis (2006), between others specialists. If it has been already examined the historical, anthropological and sociological bases of the fans associations, we aim to join to the academic researches new statistic information's, typical from the qualities and quantitative evaluations, that allow the comprehension of the urban net of the supporters clubs, in the space of the excluding new arenas, dimensioned to the realization of the sports mega events and redirected to receive new economic statements and new soccer audience in the country after 2014.Finally, it is important to stress that the Project will give continuity to the institutional partnership with the Soccer Museum, realized in the previous project supported by FAPESP, taking in consideration that it fits on axe of research already started by the Center of Reference of Brazilian Soccer, CRBS, link to the mentioned institution, dedicated to the collection of ethnographic information about the organized fans in the São Paulo city. (AU)