Hooligans: masculinities and violence in sports contexts

Abstract

Introduction. Sports are the propitious scenarios to build social dynamics, such as identity, nationalism, and sense of belonging. Practices are also charged with a certain degree of aggressiveness in sports, with a ritually accepted violence and emulated scenarios of controlled violence for society. The study was to understand how soccer became an imaginary of masculinity and violence, using the sports clubs as a socializing agent. Methods. Two structured interviews were conducted to two leading members of the hooligans of the Olimpia and Motagua sports clubs in Honduras. A critical analysis discourse was applied. The interviews were carried out during August 2018. Results. The h were found as channelling agents of a symbolic and controlled violence, which allows them to demonstrate their identity, fidelity, and masculinity in sports settings. Conclusion. A sense of identity and belonging was reflected by the members of the sports clubs to their teams, related to the construction of an imagined masculinity that is expressed through violence in sports settings.