ABSTRACT
The forces of rationalization and standardization have long been identified as important principles and articulations of industrial modernity. Max Weber famously pointed to the role of rationalization, and related tendencies such as bureaucratization, as the central transformational force behind industrialism. His investigations also warn us of the irrational consequences of the Zweckrationalität (formal rationality) arising out of the micro orientation of production and organization in industrial societies (Weber 1921). Weber’s substantial analysis of the nature of industrial capitalism still offers particular insights to the understanding of present-day practices of production and consumption in professional football. Using Weber’s distinction between formal and substantive rationality, I now want to turn to the analysis of the fundamental transformations of the production of football and its consequences for the construction of fandom. Firstly I examine the application of formal rationality in the production of contemporary football drawing on Ritzer’s (1996; 1998) notion of McDonaldization, before turning to an exploration of the consequences of the rationalization and standardization of production and distribution regimes. As part of this endeavour I will particularly focus on the far-reaching changes to place as territorial context of football consumption arising out of the rationalization of professional football.
