A cultural landmark joins the new push for corporate football clubs

Founded in 1924 by Italian immigrants working in a São Paulo textile factory, Club Atlético Juventus couldn’t be more different than the Italian football giant from which it borrows its name. Instead of a hefty collection of titles, huge stadium attendances, and a massive following, Juventus has resisted as a small club in the traditional blue-collar São Paulo neighborhood of Mooca — becoming a cultural landmark despite its limited success on the field and absence of media coverage.

In a country where football fans arguably love titles more than the sport itself, examples of clubs like Juventus are few and far between. 

The football team and its parent social club have become part of Mooca’s identity. A significant number of the locals are paying members of the Juventus club, and even the local train station bears its name. And despite playing in the second tier of São Paulo’s state championship and not featuring in any national tournaments since 2008, home games at Juventus’s pokey and charming Rua Javari stadium command considerable crowds.

For many of its fans, Juventus serves as an oasis in a sport increasingly dominated by corporate logic,...