Republica do Corinthians

You get the sense here that futbol is much more than just a spectator sport... It has many of the trappings of tribal identity, and I can't think of a more compelling example of that than in last year's "Republica do Corinthians" campaign produced by Nike. Corinthians is a Sao Paulo-based futbol team that just celebrated its 100 year anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, fans got passports. Have a look. Marketing at its best.
From Wikipedia:
The History of Sport Club Corinthians Paulista starts on September 1, 1910, when a group of laborers in the neighborhood of Bom Retiro decided to create their own club. Their idea was to found a football team in which anyone could display his abilities in the sport, since back then, in the beginning of the 20th century, football in Brazil was considered to be an elitist sport, played mainly by British descendants and people who worked for British companies.
Under the lights of an oil lamp, in the "Rua dos Imigrantes" (Immigrants Street), the labourers Joaquim Ambrósio, Antônio Pereira, César Nunes, Rafael Perrone, Anselmo Correia, Alexandre Magnani, Salvador Lopomo, João da Silva, Antônio Nunes founded the first popular club in São Paulo.