Football celebrities are a category of social actors distinguished by their fame, media visibility, and outstanding athletic performance. When their sporting careers end, many footballers face a crisis that forces them to renegotiate their celebrity capital in other roles (manager, coach, etc.) or other professional contexts (business, politics, etc.). Analyzing mainstream narratives, self-narratives on social media, and fan-generated content allows us to explore, from multiple points of view, the critical dimension of career endings and post-career life. Through a mixed-methods approach, this article aims to study the traumatic end-of-career and post-career experiences of former AS Roma footballer Francesco Totti.
Sports celebrities and retirement narratives: The case of Francesco Totti
Tirino, Mario;Castellano, Simona
2025
Abstract
Football celebrities are a category of social actors distinguished by their fame, media visibility, and outstanding athletic performance. When their sporting careers end, many footballers face a crisis that forces them to renegotiate their celebrity capital in other roles (manager, coach, etc.) or other professional contexts (business, politics, etc.). Analyzing mainstream narratives, self-narratives on social media, and fan-generated content allows us to explore, from multiple points of view, the critical dimension of career endings and post-career life. Through a mixed-methods approach, this article aims to study the traumatic end-of-career and post-career experiences of former AS Roma footballer Francesco Totti.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
