Memory and Sport: The Role of Football in the Construction of Collective Memory

Sport typically involves individual or collective physical activity based on competition and conducted within a set of established rules. Football, in particular, enables individuals and groups to form new networks of relationships through social interaction. Collective memory, on the other hand, emerges from emotional bonds formed through communication between individuals and groups, extending beyond personal recollection. In this context, a strong relationship exists between football and collective memory, shaped by emotional and social dynamics such as spatial arrangements, rituals, commemorative practices, symbolic expressions, traumatic experiences, and processes of mourning. Therefore, beyond being a physical and social activity, football provides the tools necessary for the construction and shaping of collective memory—tools that enable communication among individuals and groups and help sustain these connections. This article explores the role of spaces, symbols, and social interactions produced by football in the construction of collective memory. It investigates the roles of space, communication networks between individuals and groups, new social ties, old and reinterpreted symbols, and verbal/physical rituals in the formation of collective memory. This study argues that football, beyond being merely a sport, contributes institutionally to the formation, shaping, and continuity of collective memory by enabling intergroup interaction through spaces, jerseys, colors, chants, club names, emblems, significant dates, and shared tragedies within the context of national and global socio-economic relations.