The Disneyization of Football: Sports Journalism and Public Perception of Club Ownership through Welcome to Wrexham
Football has evolved beyond its athletic dimension to become a global cultural and media phenomenon. The concept of Disneyization, when applied to football, refers to its transformation into a spectacle designed for mass consumption, structured through emotionally charged and inspirational narrative...
| Autores: | , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) |
| Repositorio: | Docta Complutense |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/132039 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/132039 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | 796 070.4:796 Disneyization Sports journalism Storytelling Celebrities Football Disneyzación periodismo deportivo narrativas celebridades fútbol Periodismo Opinión pública (Ciencias de la Información) 5910.02 Medios de Comunicación de Masas 6114.15 Opinión Pública |
| Resumo: | Football has evolved beyond its athletic dimension to become a global cultural and media phenomenon. The concept of Disneyization, when applied to football, refers to its transformation into a spectacle designed for mass consumption, structured through emotionally charged and inspirational narratives. This article analyses the role of sports journalism in the Disneyization of Wrexham AFC, focusing on how journalistic narratives have presented the club’s acquisition by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as a success story grounded in entertainment logic. Using a mixed-methods approach—combining a survey with three focus groups—the study examines how audiences perceive and evaluate the media narratives that contribute to the club’s spectacularisation and the legitimisation of celebrity-led ownership models. Findings reveal that Wrexham’s global image is largely constructed through affective storytelling promoted by journalism and streaming platforms, particularly the docuseries Welcome to Wrexham. While celebrity ownership is associated with narratives of authenticity and emotional involvement, state-backed models are more frequently linked to controversy and soft power strategies. This research highlights the narrative asymmetries that shape public perceptions of club ownership. It argues that sports journalism no longer acts merely as a transmitter of information but operates as a discursive agent producing cultural legitimacy. The case of Wrexham illustrates how football’s reconfiguration as transmedia entertainment reflects broader dynamics of commodification, narrative economy, and symbolic value. |
|---|