Love the jersey? They'll discuss their passion for soccer (and the science behind it) at FILC.

Butterflies and broken hearts can also be found on the field. And not necessarily between the players, but between the fans and the jersey. A lifelong relationship, a faithful and passionate commitment that every fan knows and that has fascinated researcher Jesús Cervantes , who will speak on the subject at the 2025 Coahuila International Book Fair (FILC).

In the talk " What the jersey unites, let no defeat separate: loving ties with the soccer team," the communications expert will present some of the findings he has discovered regarding the passion that unites, sometimes for life, fans with their team, particularly in northern Mexico.

"When did you become fans, and for what reason? What do you feel when you watch the team, when you talk about it, when you look up the news, when you go to the stadium? How do you show your support? What I found is that all these senses, meanings, and expressions of love for the soccer team are very similar to those of romantic love," he shared with VANGUARDIA.

The research, along with other research conducted in Argentina—a country invited to FILC and where the article was published in a journal of the National University of La Plata—particularly the romantic notion that one is a fan “for life.”

"I'll share a personal experience about when I wanted to stop supporting the team I support, Rayados, and couldn't, and how hard it is to let go or change your identity, because it has nothing to do with love. We'll be reflecting a bit on these things, like why soccer is entertainment and why it's superficial, but not that much ," he mentioned.

He will also discuss how this passion even extends to the fields of art, literature, and film, as seen in the film "The Secret in Their Eyes," where they search for a murderer for years until the detectives discover that "the guy can change everything: his face, his house, his family, his girlfriend, his religion, his God. But there's one thing he can't change, Benjamin; he can't change his passion."

"It's a beautiful scene. They're in a bar after many years of searching for a murderer and there's no way to find him, and suddenly they know how to find him: in the stadium. And they go to the stadium and find him. Because the guy stopped seeing his mother, his family, and they finally find him with his team," he recalled.

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"I like that thing about Argentine literature: when it talks about soccer, it speaks of that unparalleled passion that transcends everything else, that binds you to your soccer team forever," he added.

The talk "What the jersey unites, let no defeat separate: loving ties with the soccer team" will take place this Saturday, May 3, at 7:00 p.m. in the Manuel Acuña Room at FILC.

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