Maracanã stadium: place of carioca sport

Abstract

– Aims: This study addresses the relationship between fans and the location of sport, focusing on the soccer stadium located on the right margin of the Maracanã River, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The objective is to analyze the practices and behaviors adopted by fans in the Maracanã stadium and to discuss the relation they have with the architecture of the stadium throughout its history. The study contributes to the construction of representations of this place, which is the symbol of soccer in Rio de Janeiro. Methods: Based on the concept of oral history, the data was drawn from two in-depth interviews with elite interviewees and also documents from the Sports Superintendency of the State of Rio de Janeiro (SUDERJ) archives. Results: The analysis, being of both a descriptive and qualitative character, innovate in the discourse analysis of the collective subject and incorporates Yi-Fu Tuan’s ideas of ‘space’ and ‘place’ in a relevant and necessary analysis of the changes undergone by the stadium. Conclusion: The study allows for the interpretation and preservation of perceptions and representations about experiences undergone by the majority of the fans, who contributed to the transformation of the old Derby Club into the place for Carioca soccer.