Soccer fans in Ecuador: between loyalty and disloyalty

Abstract

One of the main actors in the sports spectacle cast is the fan. It is opined a lot about them, their behavior is judged, they may be confused with organized neighborhood people, contributing partners or with circumstantial fans. The present study has wanted to deepen into the role of these main characters of the Ecuadorian soccer, identifying their level of commitment to the club to which, they say, are adhered and rummage the fidelity level that they grant their institution. Can a club fan switch to another club? Is there a second team for the soccer fans? Which factors influence so that a person chooses a soccer team to become its fan? Are some of the questions that this inquiry has required to reveal, as a contribution from its authors to comprehend how this sports follower dynamic works and how the loyalties and disloyalties that are given off from this are measured. The investigation, applied on 3161 participants residents of Pichincha, disassembles many hypotheses repeated in the sports communication slang and leaves without sustenance the common places that, until now, would not have measured with academical rigor how the fandom role works in Ecuador.