Football is not only the most popular sport all around the world but also the most common one among sports.Similarly, in Turkey, it shall be accurate to mention the dominance of football over masses amongst the rest of the sports branches. With its massified characteristics and identification aspect, football forms the basis when the relationship between society and sports is considered. It has an exclusive place within the society as a sports branch. The number of those who think over it, the number of its spectators, players and the number of those who assume it as a public matter are higher than the rest of the sports branches’ which means that football has become more socialized when compared with the other branches. The people have established a kind of relationship with football that goes far beyond a kind of interest on a leisure time activity or a sports activity. Football has gained a meaning beyond being just a sports branch not only in Turkish society but also in general. This mentioned meaning and the emotional relationship makes football different from other branches. Excitement, fun, passion, joy, sadness, identification, commitment, expectation and similar tendencies and emotions emerge in a way that is peculiar to football. The interest in football might be identified as just being a football fan or just supporting a team for some people, whereas it is the meaning of life and a matter of identifying oneself for others. Football has a function of identification which goes beyond its other functions such as being a game; being a sports branch; a means of entertainment, recreation, and socialization or which means just being a football fan. Being a football fan has transformed into a way of identifying oneself and the effect of this identification and its intensity can easily be felt within society. The supporters usually identify themselves with the team itself; with the symbol, color and the players of the team; with their individual memories; with the other supporters of the same team or with the elements that belong to the team. Football teams are also able to create an identification at local, urban, regional or national scale. Football, which is the most popular branch of sports and which has the widest field of practice in the society in terms of either game, spectating or being a fan, is the scene of various kinds of identification. Therefore, the fact that football is an effective means of identification; its function of meeting social and psychological needs; the meaning of being a football fan and its transformation into a kind of social identity and adverse effects of this identification that reaches up to fanaticism have been analyzed in this study. A significant part of the society (mostly men) support a football team. People, either with their personal choice or with the effect of their families; with the effect of the people they are in a close relationship; with the effect of their neighborhood; their friends; their school or agents of socialization, decide to support a football team at early ages. The most impressive aspect of this choice (deciding which team to support) is the persistence of being a fan rather than the debate that this preference indicates a rational or an irrational tendency. In other words, people may easily change their political view, their preferences of political parties or daily routines whereas they seldom quit the team that they support. On the other hand, the levels of supporting a team and the commitment certainly differ. Time spent on football and the team, the way in which people integrate this into their lives, the meaning that is attributed to football and being a fan all differ individually. Being a football lover may be defined as a leisure time activity; a way of supporting a team which is shaped by socialization tendencies and a way of positive identification whereas fanaticism is social deviance that exceeds the limits of sports. Within this context, it is quite possible to deem the most superior features to "Us" (the supported team) and factionalize the opposing team by tagging “Them” with the worst features.The fact that being a football fan exceeds its limits, transforms into fanaticism and even rises up to the level of violence with the effect of some specific groups not only in the stadiums but also during away game rides, in the coffee shops, on the streets and even on various public spaces indicates “depersonalization”. Depersonalization, when being a football fan is considered, may easily cause the behaviors such as imitating the mass’ or the group’s attitudes; may cause the emerging of violence and “dehumanization” of the opposing team instead of the values such as morals and reasoning.Such a kind of behavior can be considered as an adverse effect of identifying oneself with the rest of the supporters; with the group that one feels he/she belongs to or with the win or loss of the team. This event can be observed not only among the fans of the most famous teams in the top leagues but also in amateur leagues and even in local games. The rise of an "identity" argument to the fanaticism level is an understanding that excludes society. The fanatic supporter places his/her team at the center of all sports events and even his/her daily life just like a narcissistic person putting himself/herself at the center of each event. An unfounded exaltation; the exclusion of the society except for the group of one’s team supporters; ignoring the others and humiliating the opposing teams’ supporters indicate that the “identity” argument has risen up to a level of a social disease. Fanaticism, which is an attitude against the unity of the society, means presuming only oneself respectable and supreme and scorning others and is against the uniting understanding of the sports. Fanaticism, with this aspect which is considered as a type of unhealthy...