INDEPENDENCIA! | FC Barcelona and the Catalan Society
By Quinn Shepherd
The motto “more than a club” expresses a commitment from FC Barcelona to the Catalan society whom for decades lived beneath a regime of dictatorship. Under these circumstances, FC Barca worked to defend the Catalan society from the persecution of its own language and culture. As time and repression continued, the club intensified this message in an effort to infuse a sporting passion within the country’s social and political affairs. In doing this FC Barcelona quickly became a symbol for national pride and anti-centralism. When democracy finally returned to Spain after the death of General Franco, the club maintained its social commitment as new opportunities for support arose.
Today FC Barcelona and the Catalan society still fight for independence in hopes of one day separating themselves from Spanish control. This feud is further fueled through the annual match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid titled “El Clasico”. Strong Catalan proponents have historically used this match as an opportunity to wave Catalan flags and chant “independencia!” in hopes of conveying their support for separatism. Ironically, however, this kind of a social-based decision would have interesting economic implications on a club of this size and popularity. This prompts the question: what is FC Barcelona’s main focus as a club- political or economic?
-Quinn Shepherd
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/club/board-members/detail/card/more-than-a-club
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/club/history
I think that Barcelona's focus, like any other club in European Football, is on making as much money as possible. At the end of the day, if the club wasn't making money, they wouldn't exist. With that said, I think that Barcelona and Real Madrid have done a great job of exploiting the tension and passion rooted in the political conflict between the two cities in order to generate more money. The people of Barcelona and Madrid use 'El Classico' as a way to voice their political opinions, buying jerseys, flags, scarves, etc. to demonstrate their beliefs, a huge money making tool for both clubs.
ReplyDelete@AustinDacunha I agree with the main argument in your comment. It is clear that a team must focus on profitability in order to remain afloat in todays competitive European Football league. With this being said, I think FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have done a good job of using marketing techniques to foster the rivalry between Catalonia and Spain. At the end of the day this enables the clubs to instill more passion and loyalty in their fanbase and as a result bring in more support and money. This is evident in the 2016 Deloitte report which places Real Madrid and FC Barcelona at 1 and 2 most profitable clubs.
ReplyDelete-Quinn Shepherd
I believe that Barca should not involve itself in the independence movement, however they should economically take advantage of the rivalry and independence movement during the "El Classico". The stronger the independence movement gets, the greater the intensity of the match. This could result in higher viewership for the event, of which could result in the clubs charging more for sponsorship/television rights/ticket sales which would be advantageous for both clubs.
ReplyDeleteBennett Jenson
@BennetJenson I agree with your statement that the two clubs should use the independence movement during the 'El Clasico' because it instills the match with a greater intensity and therefore more profitability potential. However, I think it would be impossible for FC Barcelona to actively ignore Barcelona's pursuit of succession for the entire year and then flip the switch for a single game. As mentioned above, I think that the patriotic nature of FC Barcelona not only gives them a more passionate fanbase, but also improves the the viewership for matches like 'El Clasico'. In my opinion, Barca is in the perfect win-win scenario with 'Mes Que Un Club'.
ReplyDelete-Quinn Shepherd
I agree that the main focus of FC Barcelona is economic. In the instance of El Classico, that means embracing the Catalan culture. However, I also agree with Bennett in the aspect that Barca should not be involved in the independence movement other than taking advantage of the El Classico rivalry. FC Barcelona is competing in the Spanish league, so if FC Barca takes a public pro-Catalan/anti-Spanish stance, they could anger management of the league. Also Catalonia gaining independence from Spain could cause many implications for FC Barca-- would they still be allowed to play in La Liga? I think that FC Barca should be careful when making any public comments regarding the political issue.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the main focus of FC Barcelona is definitely economic. That being said, I think It's extremely smart for Barcelona to leverage the political rivalry between the two cities in order to generate more money. I have to agree with Quinn when he says it would be impossible for the club to actively ignore the issue besides during 'El Classico'. The passion the people of Barcelona have for Catalonia and independence is part of their identity. I don't think it would be nearly as successful of a marketing tool if FCB didn't match the fan's passion.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do believe the pro-Catalan stance is part of the team's identity, I also understand the issues that Kate has brought up. I think it's a slippery slope for a team to be tied to a political party and using politics should not be apart of their main marketing strategy. Like all other businesses I would imagine FCB has different marketing strategies for their different market segments. It's important that they aren't isolating fans who don't share the same pro-Catalan stance. By using different channels and strategies to reach different market segments, I believe FCB can successfully leverage the pro-catalan stance. Regardless of political opinion, Barca fans all have their love for the city of Barcelona in common.
Lindsay Schiff
@Bennet @Kate, I understand where you two are coming from with the potential negative impact if FC Barcelona's political implications get too involved. It is a fine line that Barca is running, especially considering the popularity and influence of football in Spain. Overall, I stand with my opinion that it would be difficult for FC to jump in and out of representing Catalonia and their pursuit for independence. However, I think its important they manage their involvement carefully.
ReplyDelete-Quinn Shepherd
I think F.C. Barcelona's main focus as a club is to win as many soccer games as possible. The same goal as every other sports team in the world. However, I think the real difference comes in the form of Barca's fans and the community that they have created within the city and surrounding parts of Spain and Europe. Living in Spain has taught me how important this team is to the city, they live and die based on the success of the team. Not granted I have never been in Barcelona following a loss, so I can't speak to that. I have obviously been in the city during and following a winning match. And I truly believe that the pride they have for their city is tied to the success of their soccer team. That being said, in response to your question, I think the leaders of the club are focused on winning games and earning revenue and I think the fans try to turn the team into a political tool.
ReplyDeleteIt's ironic that the independence for Catalonia that FC Barcelona supports so much would ultimately be the downfall of the club if it were to become a reality. It seems as though the club will support the idea of independence as a way to keep up good public relations with their local fans but I doubt they would ever put in a real effort.
ReplyDelete@MaxCurewitz @Adam Cecin, another element worth noting is that although FC Barcelona represents Catalonia through their kits and slogan "Mes que un club", it is usually the patriotic Catalonian fans delivering the real message for independence through their chants and banners. Being that not every player on FC Barcelona is home grown through the Catalan culture, the location of the club and the fan base it surrounds may also play a major role in the kind of political stance FC Barcelona seems to take on. FC Barcelona is clearly loyal to their Barcelona fans, but they also spend an enormous amount of time and effort in accumulating fans from international areas which have a much smaller concern over on the issue of succession.
ReplyDelete-Quinn Shepherd
@AdamCecin isn't that the truth. However, I think a lot of the champions league teams would be secretly rooting for Catalan independence for hopes of forming The Super league.
ReplyDelete@CaraGillespie That is an interesting thought. In my opinion a Super League seems a little far fetched when considering the popularity of football in Europe. If a league of this status was to be formed, then a large amount of competitive teams who would not register for the Super League would lose viewership and following. This would even further the gap between the top and bottom level teams. It would also discourage numerous fans who are loyal to teams that would not register for the league.
ReplyDelete-Quinn Shepherd