In our studies of the history of Europe, we have learned how full of pride Spaniards are. Though they are all united in an instituted region of the country of Spain, there are denoted regions still around, namely Catalan and Castile. Back when Francisco Franco was the dictator, he made an attempt to unify all of Spain and to get rid of any cultural independence. Since Madrid is in Castile the soccer team Real Madrid that was founded in 1902 became a representative of those ideals. Meanwhile the Catalan wanted to hold on to their heritage and language and so Barca, Barcelona’s soccer team founded in 1898, represented them. Once Castilian Spanish became the official national language, Barca Football games were one of the few places where Catalan could be spoken legally. This aided in Barca Football Club becoming more than just a representation of Barcelona but a beacon of pride for all Catalans as well as stoke the flames of hatred for Real Madrid. Luckily, I got to experience a little taste of this rivalry first hand in visiting the city of Madrid and the Barca Stadium in Barcelona.
Once in Madrid, I could tell that it was different from other Spanish cities I had visited. It seemed to be a litt
le bit lazier than Barcelona but seemed to have a little more life than Valencia. Almost immediately, I noticed words that were written in Catalan in Barcelona were now written in Spanish. After taking a quick tour of the Prados Museum of Art, I stopped into a small shop near the Neptune Fountain where I made the mistake of picking up a Barca jersey. While examining it, I noticed one of the employees looking at me. Motioning me over to him, he pointed me in the direction of Real Madrid jerseys. Looking to be around my age he began to say, in good English, that he wishes the owner would only stock Madrid jerseys due to the intense rivalry between the two teams. I asked him if he had ever attended a game and his eyes immediately lit up. With almost a chip on his shoulder he told me that he never misses them. “I save up every year to go to the Barca game and I pay whatever it costs. Football is like a religion here and Madrid is my team”. I smiled and quickly put the jersey back. The rest of my group wanted to leave before I could buy a jersey but I did have time to give the employee a wave on my way out.
While in Barcelona for the weekend, I was able to take a tour of Camp Nou which is the Barca Stadium. Inaugurated in 1956, the stadium is built in a newer section of town. This was due to the fact that the newer expansions of old cities are mostly found on the outskirts of town and in this case, well outside the old city wall. With a capacity 98,800, Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe. At first, I was hesitant to pay the 17 Euro entrance fee due to the fact that I am not that big of a soccer fan. Then I t
old myself, “when in Rome” and headed in. After seeing the locker room, I was lead to a long hallway that sloped downward. Recorded audience cheers and chants were blasted by speakers and I shuddered with excitement as the sounds were supposed to give a taste of what the players hear when preparing to take the field. The hallway opened in to the heart of the stadium. It was a beautiful bowl with stands of several colors, natural grass and a few sections covered for when it rains. Being on the west side of the Pyrenees there is more precipitation due to orographic lifting so this is a necessity. With Catalan phrase“mes que un club” meaning "more than a club" written in the stands, I knew that this team represented Catalan, not just Barcelona. I also noticed that the security team around were taking their job of keeping people off the grass very seriously. It was almost as if they were guarding a national treasure. In following the path of the tour, I was able to sit in the dugout where the players sit and wait to play which is the picture at right. Continuing further through the tour, I got the chance to hear the Barca anthem. I later found in research that it is a sacred song to the people, children learn it in school. You could say that it is an unofficial pledge of allegiance in the Catalan region. With lyrics such as "No one can break us" and "One flag unites us in brotherhood" I can understand why such a song can spawn so much pride.
Being from Columbus, Ohio, I understand how heated rivalries can get. The Ohio State-Michigan football game is considered by many to be the most intense rivalry in all of American sports. Having attended a few games, I have seen team pride and opponent hatred at its largest extremes. It took visiting both Barcelona’s club soccer stadium and the city of Madrid to see how deep that passion can run. In the end, I didn't get either jersey. Though that is mostly attributed to price, I felt that I needed to experience a game before I could rightfully sport the colors of either team. I can only imagine (and in some cases don’t want to know) what goes on in Barcelona when Real Madrid comes to town.
Works Cited
http://www.fcbarcelonablog.com/index.php/2006/04/07/the_fc_barcelona_anthem
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