Conceptualizing a ‘power game field’ through the case of ‘Padrão FIFA’: bridging together Beckian and Bourdieusian insights

Abstract

A central question within social theorization relates to the rescaling of ‘power’ in a globalized world. This paper advances sociological debates on power by cross-pollinating Beck’s power game theory with Bourdieu’s field. Hence, it conceptualizes what we call a ‘power game field’. This captures the power competition that cuts across local, national and global fields and involves, likewise, local, national and transnational actors whose capital and social relations shape the field’s outcomes. Using a global sport mega-event as our empirical setting, we explore the struggles and compliances in the power game field. Specifically, in the context of how the standards imposed on Brazil by football’s governing body (FIFA)–framed nationally as ‘Padrão FIFA’–were contested within a localized media setting (2007–2014). This is done through a frame analysis of readers’ letters and media articles, which reveals the importance of Beck’s ‘both-and’ logic and the notion of ‘communal capital’.