Soccer, Culture and Society in Spain: An Ethnography of Basque Fandom

Abstract

Athletic de Bilbao is a unique football club. For a century, Athletic has kept an uncommon player-recruitment policy, allowing only Basque-born footballers or those developed at the youth academies of Basque clubs to play for the club. Athletic's atypical enrolment policy and its historical links with conservative Basque nationalism have led a number of authors to write about this exceptional team. Mariann Vaczi's Soccer, Culture and Society in Spain is the latest contribution to academic research on the Basque club. The book provides an ethnographic analysis of Athletic focusing on its fan base and the club's deep social impact on the city of Bilbao. Set in the wider context of Spanish political and sporting cultures, the monograph concentrates on the complex emotional attachments and identity bonds created between the club, the supporters, the city of Bilbao and Basque nationalism.