Clube do coração ou clube da televisão? uma análise sobre a bifiliação clubística no futebol nordestino

Abstract

This study aims to understand the influence of sports media on the formation of fan identity among football enthusiasts in Brazil’s Northeast, with an emphasis on the phenomenon of club bifiliation — characterized by the support of two beloved teams, typically one local club and another with greater national visibility, usually from the South or Southeast regions of the country. Accordingly, the general objective is to investigate the centrality of sports journalism in the coverage of major football teams from the South and Southeast regions. For that, conducting an analysis through the program Redação SporTV, produced by the Globo media group, the study seeks to identify potential imbalances and patterns in the visibility granted to these teams and examine the effects of such centralization on the bifiliated support behavior of Northeastern fans and the construction of their supporter identities. The specific objectives are to assess the amount of airtime dedicated to covering football clubs from the South and Southeast in comparison to those from the Northeast within the Redação SporTV program; to conduct an analysis of the diversity of sources and perspectives represented in the broadcast; and to examine the historical and cultural reasons underlying the predominance of Southern and Southeastern clubs among Northeastern fans, taking into account the role played by sports media in shaping this scenario. To achieve these goals, the study draws on theoretical frameworks primarily developed by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw (1970), Campos and Toledo (2013), and Adorno and Horkheimer (1947). The methodological approach adopted is qualitative content analysis, in addition to an online questionnaire. The research corpus consists of eight episodes of Redação SporTV aired between August and September of 2024. In conclusion, the findings suggest that, despite featuring content on Northeastern clubs, Redação SporTV offers only superficial coverage and significantly less screen time to these teams when compared to clubs from other regions, thereby reinforcing the asymmetries in national sports media representation.