A Team of Our Own: The Role of Local and Regional Identities in Spanish Sport

Abstract

To validate the field, early sports historians often delved into topics with overt connections to politics and class on the national level. However, sub-national groups also use sport and this paper attempts to identify how they have done so in Spain throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries and across multiple competitive activities. On the regional level, Catalonia and the Basque Country have long used sports organizations to define themselves in opposition to the national core. Beyond this, numerous regions include sporting endeavors as part of their unique culture, including long-term Catalan promotion of physical education and the Basques and Valencians each claiming different forms of pelota. Similarly, numerous regions have used cycling heroes, professional teams, and regional tours to foster identity. Local and civic governments have also long seen sport as a useful tool. Before and after the Spanish Civil War, local competitions offered opportunities for non-political community building. Later, newer sports like basketball offered opportunities for smaller cities to find success through specialization, while others recognized that hosting larger events offered national and international branding opportunities. Lastly, the structure of league competition offers cities exposure through regular competition, rivalries, and weekly quiniela choices.