Who wins and who loses: The rethorical Manipulation of Social Identities in a Soccer Team

This study describes the rhetorical manipulation of social identities arising in the discourses of a professional soccer team. The author audio recorded and completely transcribed according to G. Jefferson’s (1989) method 3 discursive interactions be- tween team members (after a victory, after a defeat, and in a pregame situation). Methodology comprises both a conversational analysis and a quantitative one. Results show that (a) team members use rhetorically a complex repertoire of their own and others’ social identities; (b) intragroup differentiation is more marked than intergroup differentiation; and (c) two main variables influence the use of markings of social identities: the role of the speakers (in particular the power role of the coach) and the result of the match around which the interactive discourse revolves.