Bound Volume Number

IX

Degree Type

Honors Capstone Project

Date of Submission

Spring 5-5-2015

Capstone Advisor

Prof. Joan Deppa

Honors Reader

Prof. Dieter Roberto Kuehl

Capstone Major

Public Relations

Audio/Visual Component

no

Keywords

Madrid, Barcelona, football club

Capstone Prize Winner

no

Won Capstone Funding

yes

Honors Categories

Professional

Subject Categories

Advertising and Promotion Management

Abstract

In the Capstone, I will explore one of the most intense football clashes in history: El Clásico (The Classic), which refers to a match-up between Real Madrid C.F. and FC Barcelona. When these most successful football clubs meet on the field for 90 minutes of intense action, it soon becomes very clear that this is much more than just a game or just sports. The field can be seen as a battleground, and the game could be a substitute for war between two ideologies, cultures, and social classes. This rivalry has a real and profound political tone, which goes back many decades. Real Madrid C.F. and FC Barcelona not only represent Madrid and Barcelona, but they are also associated with opposing political positions. Real Madrid C.F. represents Spanish nationalism, right-wing establishment-based ideology, and the central government. FC Barcelona represents Catalanism and left-wing and socialism.

When the teams compete on the field, the two political ideologies also clash. Moreover, FC Barcelona supports the separatism movement of Catalan, and this is clearly evident from fan behavior. The slogan “més que un club” (more than a club) expresses FC Barcelona’s commitment to Catalan society, which has gone beyond the realm of sports. The club always supports the Catalan region and honors its culture. The political atmosphere surrounding this unique football rivalry completely overwhelmed and fascinated me. One cannot fully understand this rivalry without taking historical, cultural, and political backgrounds into account.

I want to understand where these clubs fit in today’s Spanish society. Are these clubs more than sporting institutions? Will the love and hatred surrounding El Clásico continue for another century? What do ordinary fans really think about the rivalry and how do they express their feelings via the social medium of Twitter? What factors have kept the rivalry going? Who has engineered and hyped the rivalry and why?

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.