The magic of selection

Abstract

This article attempts to respond, from an anthropological perspective, to some of the questions related to spectators’ interests in World Cups. It aims at explaining the symbolic systems that provide the basis for the intense emotions that soccer stirs up, whether related to the confrontations between teams or between national states. Particular emphasis is placed on the process of symbolic investment through which a team that is composed of eleven competitors and organized by a secular entity - the CBF, in this case - comes to represent the Brazilian nation.