Based on unique, in-depth ethnographic research, this book investigates how a soccer club and soccer fandom affect the life of a community, interweaving empirical research material with key contemporary themes in the social sciences, and placing the study in the wider context of Spanish political and sporting cultures. Filling a key gap in the literature on contemporary Spain, and on wider soccer cultures, this book is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in sport, anthropology, sociology, political science, or cultural and gender studies.

"But Why, We Lost!" An Introduction PART ONE: PASSION, COMMUNITY AND DOUBLE BINDS Chapter One:"An Englishman Came to Bilbao:" A Social History of Athletic Club Chapter Two: "A Unique Case in the World:" Basque Exceptionalism and Identity through Soccer Chapter Three: Bilbao Catch-22: Passions and Double Binds in Soccer Madness PART TWO: A MATTER OF BALLS Chapter Four: Melodramas of Masculinity and Morality Chapter Five: Fans, Writers, Leaders and Players: Women`s Breakthroughs in Soccer`s Gender Regime Chapter Six: Dangerous Liaisons, Fatal Women: The Fear and Fantasy of Soccer Wives and Girlfriends in Spain PART THREE: POLITICAL GEOGRAPHIES Chapter Seven: Together and Apart at the Basque Derby: A Prisoner`s Dilemma Chapter Eight: "The Spanish Fury:" The Basques, the Catalans and the National Team PART FOUR: LIFE, DEATH AND CONTINUITY Chapter Nine: Death in the Cathedral: Life Cycle Rituals and Mortuary Practices in Sport Stadiums Epilogue: "Now is the Time to Rise!"