“Unisciti al branco”. Retorica e ideologia nel linguaggio pubblicitario del calcio

This paper focuses on the linguistic analysis of a specific sub-genre in the field of advertising: texts in which football is considered a commodity (to be purchased, for example, when subscribing to a football team or a pay TV). An initial analysis of the 2014-15 Mediaset Premium advertising campaign is carried out, followed by an investigation of the hoardings and printed advertisements issued by Italian football teams, again in the 2014-15 season. The semio-linguistic approach selected for analysis considers these syncretic texts to be complex and unitary mechanisms with potentially dysphoric ideological contents. The didactic relevance and pedagogical function of the texts within contemporary social discourse point to a need for critical assessment in order to promote a valid, flexible and post-rhetoric framework for linguistic education.