There is no
doubt that the rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is more than just a
game of futbol. These are two of the richest clubs in the world with some of
the most passionate fans in the world, and when they finally meet on the field,
the emotions stirring amidst the crowd run deeper than just “which team is
better?” This rivalry and it’s implications on the teams, fans, and businesses
surrounding it can only be understood with a better understanding of Spanish
history. Is The rivalry between these two teams a rivalry between two cities….
between two regions….between two cultures… between two languages…between two
political and economic ideals? I think so.
It seems that
there may be irreconcilable differences between the Catalonians and the madrileños (Duke
University), and this is why I think that El Clásico is more than just a game
of futbol. Recently, Catalonia has attempted to separate from the rest of
Spain, and Barcelona (the capital of
Catalonia) is somewhat synonymous with Catalonian nationalism and the idea of
Catalonian independence. The tensions between Catalonia and the Spanish state
(located in Madrid) are expressed not only in political and economic terms, but
also on the field.
Since
both of these teams are “owned” by their members they are essentially owned by
the cities of Madrid and Barcelona. When these two teams battle it out on the
futbol field, are they fighting for more than just a win in the scorebooks? Are
they fighting for their political views? Are they fighting for Catalonian
nationalism or vice versa? Since futbol is such a huge deal in both of these
cities, it makes me question whether or not futbol plays a role in increasing
the Catalonian nationalism in Barcelona, and only intensifying the political
issues between the two cities.
No comments:
Post a Comment