Football statues and semiotics

Abstract

Every football statue transcends mere physical representation; it stands as a public monument constructed to commemorate and honor specific subjects. The football statue involves an intricate interplay of communication factors and functions, potentially transforming into a message imbued with encyclopedic signs to serve its communicative purposes. Importantly, the football statue, as a communication phenomenon, extends beyond a simple semiotic relation between the statue and a viewer. We must also consider the addresser’s intentions, including strategies for engaging the viewer as an addressee. This duality involves referencing both historical and spatial contexts (the physical environment) beyond the message itself. And various semiotic means – also poetic – capture the viewer’s attention and maintain contact. We understand the semiotics of football statues from the perspectives of Eco (encyclopedia, intentio auctoris, model reader), Jakobson (communication model), Peirce (icon, index, symbol, collateral experience), and Barthes (relay, anchorage). Our analytical descriptions/examples solely concern UK statuary after an examination of 89 statues.