Check this out - very interesting link reuniting all major surveys made in Brazil about football fan bases since 1983 until 2002. http://planeta.terra.com.br/esporte/rsssfbrasil/miscellaneous/torcidas.htm This should be clarifying about this topic, once and for all.
It's amazing how Flamengo despite not having a real decent team for more than 10 years now, is still far away from the second most popular team. Yet more concerning is the fact that even though such popularity doesn't help Flamengo getting out of the financial chaos. Even with all the corruption surrounding our football, Flamengo should be an wealthy club.
And the same applies to Vasco, Corinthians or Palmeiras as well. I really don't know why major clubs in Brazil are unable (incapable?) to capitalize it's popularity into money. I mean, c'mon... having an universe of 24 million supporters, a club like Flamengo should be able to get a minimum income to pay it's debts in the proper time, to say the least... It remains a mystery for me. But It seems that a good management is the key to success, since clubs like Cruzeiro - or São Caetano specifically, which almost does not have supporters at all - are know for being wealthy, despite their not-that-huge fan base (comparing with the most popular ones).
I´m sorry... ...but if you analyse the data, Cruzeiro has around 6.000.000 of fan`s (5,3%). It´s the biggest number of fans outside Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo!!! It´s a fantastic number, mainly if you remember that the great midia is concentrated in this two Brazilian states...
CElegance has part of the answer....what is a fan? Or more precisely, what is a marketable fan? When I lived in Rio many so called Botafogo fans where astounded at the lenghts I would go to see a game (from Leblon to the port, on to Niteroi via ferry, then to Caio Martins) ....even more so because I was a foreigner. I found many "fans" in name only - people whose family had always supported the team, but who had never ventured to actually see a game. Those kinds of fans do nothing for your revenue base. The second reason Lex is lack of marketing sense among some clubs. Case and point, I went to the Bota headquarters all excited, hoping to see a cool museum heralding the exploits of Didi, Zagallo, Garrincha, et al.....boy was I disappointed. I couldn't even buy the Ruy Castro book on Garrincha, or get the "Alegria do Povo" tape (have to buy bootlegs)! This is Bota's precious history and legend; but they don't use it in a manner that expands or even preserves their brand. Have any of you tried to purchase a Garrincha jersey? Doesn't exist.....think about the possibilities.
The point I am making is that Mengo have 30 million fans or smething and we often here Timao is the secod most popular clubs etc. BUT, when it come to publicos, they are overshadowed by other clubs/regions.
This is something that I have always been curious about and wondered how in the world it could have been overlooked. I bet the vintage jersey's would sell like crazy. Garrincha, Tostao, Pele, Zico, Socrates, Rivellino - I bet if you came out with the jersey's and heck, you can use the old style of shirt also, people would buy them. HOwever I think if something like this would happen, it would have to be some sort of split revenue thing between the CBF and the individual clubs. In otherwords, someone will get a lot of money and someone will get nothing.