Silent protest e prosumerismo sportivo in rete, tra impegno civile e brandizzazione digitale

The world of professional sport has long been one of the most dominant cultural industries in the global scene of entertainment.
Athletes, have become full members of the star system, they play an crucial role both in the formation processes of subcultures as well as in strengthening adherence to the dominant culture. In this framework the athlete commodification process has come to transform it from a brand endorser brand outright. In parallel the professional leagues are becoming global communication companies willing to control every aspect of their products in any platform (radio, web TV, video games, fantasy leagues) to the extreme of extend their control upon its members’ support, promotion or adherence to social causes. Our paper aims to focus on the case Colin Kaepernic’s silent protest in compliance with the movement "black lives matter" and in opposition to the strict behaviour policies imposed by the NFL, considered in our interpretation ass a walled garden.