The “not so” Beautiful Game: a study on Brazilian players of the fantasy soccer game Cartola FC

Abstract

Fantasy sports games exist for over 50 years and are popular in North America and in European countries. In Brazil, the sports fans only recently took interest in those games with Cartola FC, an online fantasy soccer game. This study aims to investigate the Brazilian players’ behavior and consumption in Cartola FC through a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the discussion was supported by Game Studies and consumer behavior theoretical approaches. The results pointed to the game boundaries’ permeability, where the actions performed by the players occur mainly outside of it. Although Cartola FC is an online game, the social ties with local friends and work colleagues are reinforced and, as in previous researches carried on in other countries, the act of playing deepened the players’ relationship with the sport. It was also found an expressive informal market of League betting, created to transgress the Brazilian legislation.