Berlusconi y el deporte como estrategia de comunicación política

Abstract

ResumenEl deporte y el fútbol resultaron fundamentales dentro de la estrategia política que permitió a Silvio Berlusconi acceder a la Presidencia del Gobierno italiano. El fútbol con su poder mediático se convirtió en una plataforma útil por sus finalidades electorales. La compra de un popular e histórico equipo supuso una buena intuición (hoy copiada por muchos jeques árabes), una manera para obtener prestigio y darse a conocer al país entero, operación conducida con la colaboración de los canales de televisión pertenecientes al magnate. Asimismo, creció el protagonismo del deporte, asistiendo a una constante "futbolarización" de la política y de la comunicación en general.Palabras clave: Berlusconi; Italia; Milán; fútbol; Medios de Comunicación Berlusconi and the sport as a political communication strategy Abstract Sport and football were instrumental in the political strategy that allowed Silvio Berlusconi to access the Presidency of the Italian Government. football with his media power became a useful platform for his electoral purposes. The acquisition of a popular and historic team represented a good intuition (now copied by many Arab sheikhs), a way to gain prestige and become known to the whole country, operation conducted with the cooperation of television channels of tycoon's property. As well, the prominence of the sport increased, attending a constant "futbolarizatión" of politics and communication in general.Key words: Berlusconi; Italy; Milan; football; Media. Donofrio, A. (2012). Berlusconi y el deporte como estrategia de comunicación política. Historia y Comunicación Social, Vol. 17, páginas 103-123. Referencia normalizadaSumario: 1. Introducción. 2. La compra del Milán y la discesa in campo. 3. La subida al poder de Berlusconi. 4. La transformación de la política y del lenguaje. 5. El fenómeno Berlusconi. 6.

Political Communication in the Age of Populism and Mediatization

“…There are plenty of examples in which a populist leader has resorted to other issues or objects of dialogue separate from politics as a strategy for improving their political position or achieve an specific goal. For instance, it is very well-known that Silvio Berlusconi, the populist leader of Forza Italia, the right-wing party that stayed in the Italian political scenario from 1994 to 2009, tended to resort to soccer to clean up his image and distract the press and public opinion from his multiple scandals (Donofrío, 2012).…”

“…Another interesting characteristic of the populist attitude towards the people is the so-called 'Zelig effect', which according to Donofrío (2012), Berlusconi is a good example of this phenomenon. The effect consists on mimic the personality of those who surround you, pretending to appear like one of them.…”