On the logic of soccer patronage

Abstract

Silvio Berlusconi once remarked that ‘soccer is a metaphor for life’. Taking this claim at face value, the essay explores some of the logics at play when soccer is linked to other domains. In particular, by considering the circumstances of three Italian clubs, the essay throws light on different ways the image of a patron may be mirrored. A preliminary philosophical apparatus is introduced in the first part of the essay, clarifying the notion of a metaphor and how the authors see this applying to the case under consideration. Afterwards, such apparatus is put to use to explain the instances of Juventus FC, AC Milan, and US Città di Palermo.