Azul y Oro

This article focuses on a key incident - the takeover of the CA Boca Juniors of Argentina football jersey by Nike, with a design that was perceived as altering the 'original' jersey -and the public debate it generated in terms of fashion, community and tradition. Using that incident as a catalyst I analyze its different circuits of fabrication, production and consumption, and show how the circuits of uses of the jersey go from gift to commodity to political/cultural sign and involve both the practices and contexts where the jersey is used, the debates over its authenticity, and the resolution of tension in the retro jerseys. In doing this, this article not only shows the diverse logics that structure the jersey's uses, but also asserts that global forces - usually perceived as a dissolving agent - underpin new forms of identity, which are seen as authentic.