Abstract
Mostly football clubs are voluntary associations marked by an institutional duality. On the one hand, a membership base that benefits from the tangible goods of the “social club”, make up the electorate and choose the leaders; on the other hand, the scope of professional soccer, characterized by the mobilization of significant financial resources and the production of an intangible asset for the fans: the sporting success and identification. In many clubs, as well in other sports associations, oligarchization processes occur; their most outstanding trait is the longevity of the very same ruling leaders. In this article, through the case study of Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, we seek to understand in depth the nature of such processes and identify the key factors of the oligarchization cycle, i.e., the establishment, consolidation and decline of an oligarchic dominance. More than a study on the specific subject of sports entities, this article aims to contribute to the traditional discussion about the oligarchization of associative entities, and takes as its theoretical ground the scholarship on oligarchization made after the path opened by Robert Michels.
Keywords
Oligarchy; Voluntary associations; Sports organizations; Football; Organizational change