Abstract
One of the most important concepts in the figurational/process sociological approach is also one of the most under-examined: functional democratization. This refers to the tendency of functional specialization and the division of labour to diminish imbalances in the power balance between groups. The essay discusses the concept and, drawing on Emile Durkheim's concept of ‘egoism’, argues that the rise of celebrity culture provides an important challenge for the concept. The Sports Star is now the object of intense emotional attachment from fans. This exceeds an attachment based upon appreciation of sporting prowess. The leading Sports Stars, in common with the leading celebrities from celebrity culture, are adopted as role models by fans and their lives are followed as parables of normative behaviour. A new term, invasive egoism, is introduced to describe the development of fantasy relationships between the fan and the sports star. Invasive egoism can produce over-close identification between fans and their idols, so that the media representations of the star's life become the fulcrum for measuring changes and moments of significance in the life of the fan. The rise of the Sports Star is related to the onslaught of the commodification of sports culture.
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