Soccer, nationalism and the media in contemporary Spanish society: La Roja, Real Madrid & FC Barcelona

Branding, culture, and political ideology: Spanish patriotism as the identity myth of an iconic brand

“…After the promulgation of the 1978 Constitution, explicit nationalism disappeared from the discourse of the majority of politicians, except for those of the extreme right and some of the spokesmen of the Popular Alliance (Núñez Seixas, 2004: 122–123) – a party which would eventually become the conservative Popular Party (PP). Due to the authoritarian connotations that it had acquired, Spanish nationalism “had to undergo an implicit purge and to disguise itself in many different forms” (Balfour and Quiroga, quoted in Rodríguez Ortega, 2016: 630), patriotism being practically conspicuous by its absence in the mainstream public discourse (Núñez Seixas, 2010: 17). In particular, “the Spanish left shunned the use of such national symbols as the country’s red-and-yellow flag and sometimes even the name of the country itself” (Bassets, 2015).…”

“…Soccer would give new meaning to patriotic feeling when the supporters of Real Madridstarted singing “I’m a Spaniard, Spaniard, Spaniard” on top of their lungs. This tune had been omnipresent in the post 2008 Euro and post 2010 World Cup street rallies in Madrid, in which thousands of ecstatic supporters celebrated Spain’s triumphs (Rodríguez Ortega, 2016: 631).The social and political consolidation of regional nationalisms (Núñez Seixas, 2010: 20) has also been a fundamental factor behind the revival of Spanish patriotism. Although the political tensions deriving from Basque nationalism have existed for decades, the radicalization of secessionist nationalism in Catalonia during the current decade has posed one of the major challenges facing those defending the unity of Spain.…”

“…started singing “I’m a Spaniard, Spaniard, Spaniard” on top of their lungs. This tune had been omnipresent in the post 2008 Euro and post 2010 World Cup street rallies in Madrid, in which thousands of ecstatic supporters celebrated Spain’s triumphs (Rodríguez Ortega, 2016: 631).…”

Global football in the US market. The internationalization of FC Barcelona and its media coverage

“…In contrast, the young fans reproduce the old discourse, but leave aside the political values that were formerly attached to the idea of the club. 14 Taking into account the association between FC Barcelona and the political history of Spain, studies by O'Brian 15 , Rodríguez Ortega 16 , as well as López-González, Guerrero-Solé and Haynes 17 , compare the values and corporate identity of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. In fact, although both clubs currently internationalize their brands, their political positioning inside the national market is totally opposed.…”

Sociología del Deporte en España: una actualización (2005-2017). [Sociology of Sport in Spain: an update (2005-2017)].

“…Ramón Llopis Goig, en su obra Futbol postnacional (2009) considera que este deporte tiene una supremacía que "lo convierte en paradigma de las contradicciones y ambivalencias que caracterizan el deporte en un mundo globalizado" (García-Ferrando y Llopis-Goig, 2011, 22). Así mismo, hay muchos trabajos que relacionan el futbol con la construcción de las distintas identidades nacionales (española, catalana, vasca, gallega) que hay en España (Györi, 2013;Mc Farland, 2013;Quiroga, 2013;Rodríguez, 2015;Rojo-Labaien, 2013 Al respecto, destaca la interesante aportación de Rojo-Labaien cuando afirma "que la influencia del hecho social del fútbol en España más que en otros países de su entorno radicaría en su capacidad de representación de las diferentes adhesiones nacionales que confluyen en el territorio" (RojoLabaien, 2014, 25). Y, basándose en las teorías de Anthony Smith (2009), indica que los "flujos globales han obligado a cambiar la formación clásica homogénea del estado-nación, en la dirección novedosa de un estado-nación posclásico que acepte las necesidades de las comunidades étnicas y naciones en su interior" (Rojo-Labaien, 2014, 25).…”