Transposition of a national sports event into a transnational one on the example of the Spanish El Clásico

Abstract

The presented article focuses on the analysis of the transposition of a national event into supranational one, the most striking example of which is the confrontation of Real Madrid with FC Barcelona, known as El Clásico. The text will examine the elements used in the process of recasting the event, which are decisive for giving it a meaning beyond the framework of a single country. The hypothesis is as follows: “While still functioning in the Spanish symbolic space, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have transposed the mutual rivalry through permutation of the national event into supranational one, using elements that constitute and determine the specificity of the club. It was possible through reification of identity and orientation towards the idea of social identity”. It indicates the direction of research, which differs from treating this phenomenon only in marketing terms. It also outlines two basic points of reference, focusing the analysis on aspects related to identification issues. These, as will be shown in the text, determine the possibility of emotional involvement of supporters all over the world in experiencing a national holiday such as the  confrontation of the Los Blancos and Blaugrana, without having to decode the primordial component which is political and social conflict.