Barcelona-Valencia-Madrid (also available in Spanish)

This article is primarily for all those readers passionate about sport, both Spaniards and outside Spain, for highlighting the peculiarities of the Spanish sporting policy.

Obviously at football level would be easier to write this article. As many of you may know, Spain has two big teams which are Barca and Real Madrid, and then three or four teams that have historically trying to be at the same level of the first two but they have always failed, one of them is Valencia. We also need to emphasize the point that Madrid has been the clear dominator of the national and international scene in Spanish soccer, althought not free from political controversy, since in certain moments of the Spanish football history, and specifically at the stage of the Franco regime, Madrid received many helps in order to be the greatest team in Spain, among others, snatch the signing of Di Estafano to FC Barcelona. Anyway, and despite the other “forces” against culés (Barça supportes), Madrid has always been a winner and well above Barcelona, which has needed always give 120% to get their negrees. On the other handthey have an excellent supporters mass, very accurate and very understood (although somewhat boring!). For the American public, we could say that historically, Real Madrid would be like the NY Yankees and Barça like the Boston Red Sox.

But the article wanted to highlight aspects of sports whether in cities. How sport can be a showcase unrivaled promotion for cities. In this regard, Madrid has always been beholden to Barcelona, which historically has been the leading the city and a pioneer in all sports in Spain. Proof of this is that the Catalan region accounts at present time with a higher proportion of sports licenses in almost all sports, and these in turn are majority in sports considered as minority sports, and it has been the introducer of sports such as basketball, Balomano, Water Polo, etc… in Spanish territory. Madrid, always focused on football, never thought of sports as a promotion of its own identity, because with the Real Madrid and Franco had enough.

On the contrary Barcelona, decided to bet clearly in a multitude of sports events and sports-related, and not only to enhance the city, but as a necessity own of Catalan society, claiming that need sports and cultural. Proof of this are the creation of a Conde Godo Tennis, Formula One in Montjuïc (Spectacular Urban race) and that eventually led to the creation of the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona Marathon, Sailing International test, equestrian events, Davis Cup, and so on.

All this had its climax with the international award of Olympic Games in 1992. The truth is that at first seemed an utopia, the dream of some crazy adventurers (headed by the then mayor of the city Don Narcis Serra), and with low demand and little attention at the state level. But achieving the nomination and subsequent Olympics placed Barcelona and Spain at the world map. Olympics helped to modernize the city, providing it with infrastructure and services unknown back then (only highlight the fact that negatively The AVE high speed train take up to the year 2008 in order to arrive from Madrid to Barcelona). The city entered a positive spiral unmatched and reached heights of popularity High-level sporting draught, also accompanied by a good moment of FC Barcelona with the Dream Team by Johan Cruyiff. Yet it seems that Barcelona lives of those great memories!

However, the new politicians decided that sports were no longer important and sensitive to the citizen (for example, they decided not to bet on the Red Bull Air Racing when brought together nearly 200,000 people in Barcelona beaches!). And that is when it appears Valencia as a city of regency in the Spanish state in the field sports. Although we must also stress that Madrid also chose to use the Catalan model of the past. Both Cities with bet heavily on Sports to enhance their respective cities and promote its image abroad.

Madrid managed to snatch form Barcelona his regency as the tennis city and is currently hosting a MastersSeries. In turn, is actively involved in promoting and Sponsorship of sporting events and always be looking at frontline, evidence of this is his insistence on being Olympic City. While we understand that they were wrong to compete for the year 2016, we believe that after 2012 in London it would be difficult to repeat in Europe.

Finally, the clearest example of that sport and culture are essential for the growth and vitality of a city we find it in Valencia. One good sunny day, the government in Valencia understood that to take over Barcelona (the great Competidor in the Mediterranean area) had to be ton culture and sport. To that end, the project engendered of the City of Arts (designed by Calatrava) gave the city a first level cultural space. Also enhanced its network of sporting events with the creation of various motorcycles venues, injecting public money in football and basketball in Valencia, grwoing in tennis facilities and gave the city an international event Female first-class and take the brilliantly Allinghi pursuit of the Cup americas to host passing this important sporting event clearly by the hand front and politicians to the city of Barcelona.

Similarly, it is remarkable, how Valencia achieved the venue of theFormula One Grand Prix of Europe. This has lead Valencia toa n internal growth as a city, but above all to an Internationally level.

Cheers,

J&F