La Liga Research Articles

Traumatic Leg Fractures in UEFA Football Athletes: A Matched-Cohort Analysis of Return to Play, Reinjury, Player Retention, and Performance Outcomes.

Background:The average professional soccer team experiences 1 to 2 traumatic leg fractures per season, with unknown effects on player performance.Purpose:To (1) determine the rate and time to return to play (RTP) following leg fracture, (2) investigate the rate of reinjury following RTP, and (3) investigate long-term effects that lower extremity (LE) fracture may have on elite soccer player performance.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Using publicly available records, we identified athletes sustaining a traumatic leg fracture across the 5 major European soccer leagues (English Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, and Serie A) between 2000 and 2016. Athletes with leg fracture (femur, tibia, and/or fibula) were matched 1:2 to controls by demographic characteristics and performance metrics 1 season before the index timepoint. Investigations included the RTP rate, reinjury rate, player characteristics associated with RTP within 2 seasons, long-term player retention, performance metrics during the 4 following seasons, and subgroup analysis by player position.Results:A total of 112 players with LE fracture and 224 controls were identified. Players with LE fractures were absent for a mean of 157 days (range, 24-601 days) and 21 games (range, 2-68 games). The rate of RTP within 1 season was 80%, with 4% experiencing subsequent refracture. Injured players remained active in the league at a higher rate than their uninjured counterparts. As compared with controls, injured athletes played 309 fewer total minutes (P < .05), scored 0.09 more assists per game (P < .01) 1 season after injury, and scored 0.12 more points per game 4 seasons after injury (P < .01). Defenders were most affected by an LE fracture, playing 5.24 fewer games (P < .05), 603 fewer total minutes (P < .01), and recording 0.19 more assists per 90 minutes of play as compared with controls 1 season after injury (P < .001). Attackers and midfielders demonstrated no significant difference in metrics after RTP when compared with controls.Conclusion:Most players sustaining an LE fracture returned to elite soccer at the same level after a significant loss of playing time, with a 4% rate of refracture. Player retention was higher for those sustaining an LE fracture versus uninjured controls. Overall, injured players did not experience a decline in performance after recovery from an LE fracture.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATION ALGORITHMS ON FOOTBALL ANALYTICS

Sports analytics is on the rise, with many teams looking to use data science and machine learning algorithms to augment their teams research and boost team performance. This is especially true in the case of Football Clubs. In this work, we have taken the statistics of matches for each team from five major football leagues. These include the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. We use this data for two kinds of classification to predict a teams win, loss, or draw. First, we implement Multiclass Classification using Naive Bayes classification, Decision Tree classification, and K-Nearest Neighbours classification. We use f1-score, recall, and precision to evaluate the model. Next, we use Binary Classification to predict if a team wins or does not win, i.e., a loss or a draw. We achieve this by using Support Vector Machines, Logistics Regression, K-Nearest Neighbours classification, Decision Tree classification, and Naive Bayes classification. We evaluate the results using the evaluation metrics mentioned above. Now, we compare the accuracy and efficacy of these algorithms based on the evaluation metrics. This will help standardize the means of classification in sports and football analytics in the future.

Home Advantage and Audience Effect Analysis of Turkish Super League in Covid-19 Season

Covid-19 pandemic dramatically affected soccer. Many competitions played without an audience in the 2019/2020 season. The aim of this study was to analyze Points (P), Goals Forward (GF), and Goals Away (GA) per game in Turkish Super League (TSL), Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A before (BP) and After Pandemic restrictions (AP) during the 2019/2020 season separately and together. The tables of five leagues were separated into two terms as BP and AP, and P, GF, and GA were calculated for each period. Average P, GF, and GA per game were statistically compared. Paired samples t-test and paired samples correlations were used for statistical analysis. The obtained results showed that home P and GA increased AP in TSL without statistical significance. In parallel, home P and GF increased AP in Premier League and La Liga and showed significant correlations (p&lt;0.05). In contrast, in Bundesliga and La Liga, home P and GF decreased AP with significant correlation (p&lt;0.05). In La Liga, away GA significantly decreased AP (p=0.010148*). When all results of all teams (n=98) were compared together, home P (r=0.4371; p=0.000007***) and GA decreased AP and showed significant correlations. Furthermore, away P (r=0.386661; p=0.000084***) and GF (r=0.505488; p=0.000001***) increased with significant correlation. These results showed that the Covid-19 pandemic dissimilarly affected different leagues. However, overall results showed that home performances decreased and away results increased AP.

Globalization of Sports on the Example Of The Five Most Popular European Football Leagues with an Emphasis on Premiership - Geographical Overview

Globalization has had and still has a comprehensive effect on all aspects of human life, including the part related to sports and recreation. Through the spread of information and communication technologies, especially new channels of information dissemination (such as social networks), but also the process of internationalization, liberalization, and modernization - it has enabled the availability of sports competitions, and the general presence of sports in all parts of the world. This is especially true of football as one of the most popular sports. This paper will try to provide a geographical and global framework for football change based on specific economic and financial data related to sponsors, branding, etc., through a case study of the English Premiership (also known as Premier League) compared to other football leagues in Europe (German Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1, the so-called Big Five). The paper presents three hypotheses to which the research of available literature and statistical data will try to answer. Through all the above mentioned, the research aims to determine whether and to what extent football has become a global sport by going beyond national frameworks and to what extent it has transformed itself in these modern and global frameworks.

Antecedents of satisfaction and loyalty in different spectator tribes in a football context

PurposeExtending existing research in a football context, this study explores how image and service quality influence spectator tribe satisfaction and loyalty and variations in behaviors depending on age, gender and emotional involvement.Design/methodology/approachSpectators aged 18 years and older who attended Barcelona Football Club home La Liga matches were sampled. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the model, and hybrid multigroup PLS-SEM was used to explore observed heterogeneity.FindingsImage and service quality both influence spectator satisfaction and loyalty. Satisfaction and loyalty are associated differently with three tribes: a nonpassionate tribe characterized by low emotional involvement and younger and older passionate tribes composed of emotionally involved spectators aged <30 and >30 years old, respectively.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s results contribute to strengthening the suitability of PLS-SEM and multigroup in sport management, in particular for analyzing the behavior of specific groups of football spectators.Originality/valueThe findings of this study underline image and service quality as crucial to football spectator satisfaction and loyalty, with emotional involvement and age defining different consumer tribes as potential targets for marketing purposes.

Employees in professional European football: comparison of thepersonnel structure in sports medicine, sports sciences and physiotherapy between Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Premier League

Regional and league-specific differences in injury risk and time loss have been observed in professional European football. Besides time of play or different pre-season preparations, possible reasons may also include medical and sport-scientific support. A survey of what UEFA deems to be the best four football clubs has therefore been conducted to investigate the personnel status in the fields of medicine, physiotherapy, massage, sports science and athletic and "strength and conditioning" coaching in order to compare the Erste Bundesliga with the first leagues of the other countries. The study is based on a survey of all 78 teams in the highest football leagues of Germany (Bundesliga), Spain (La Liga), Italy (Serie A) and England (Premier League). The teams were contacted directly and a questionnaire concerning their personnel deployment in the different fields was handed out. The Bundesliga was found to have a significantly lower total number of employees compared with the other European leagues (6.9 vs. 11.02; p < 0.0001). The number of physicians in the Bundesliga is significantly higher (2.2 vs. 1.76; p = 0.0259), but the number of physicians dedicating more than 80 % of their total medical practice to the team was significantly lower in the Bundesliga (0.2 vs. 1.45; < 0.0001). In the group of physiotherapists (1.8 vs. 3.6; p < 0.001), massage therapists (2.1 vs. 2.69; p = 0.0094), sports scientists (0.3 vs. 1.12; p < 0.0001) and athletic and "strength and conditioning" coaches (0.5 vs. 1.83; p < 0.0001), there were also significant differences between the staff structure in the Bundesliga compared with the grouped results of the other leagues. The personnel structure and the personnel employment in the Bundesliga in sports medicine and sports sciences differs significantly from La Liga, Serie A and the Premier League with the latter three leagues having more personnel and the personnel having closer ties to their teams. Further investigation is necessary to find out if this may be a reason for the differences in injury rates observed between these leagues. A special focus should be placed on country-specific differences in the professions including education and scope of work.

Spanish Football Managers and Zonal Marking in the Nineties: From Wise Old Men to Football Engineers

This research aims to improve current knowledge on managers’ professional culture and practices through the study of how tactical requirements, and specifically the introduction of zonal marking in the 80’s and 90’s, transformed professional football managers training methods, their professional competences and requirements. In order to do so, 23 semi-estructured interviews were conducted with Spanish first división La Liga professional managers and footballers. Spanish managers in the 80’s enjoyed a traditional authority and disregarded formal instruction and knowledge. However, the tactical complexity emerged through the zonal marking system and the training methods evolution from physical to tactically focused generated a new kind of abstract knowledge and new pedagogical and group managing skills mandatory to achieve success and manage the group.

Discussion on New Methods of Football Teaching and Training in Colleges

With continuous development of new curriculum reform, teaching content and objectives gradually overcome comprehensive development of comprehensive development of emphasis on intellectual education and neglect of morality, intelligence, physical beauty. Football, known as the world’s number one sport, is a comprehensive sport that tests participants’ physical fitness and understanding of techniques and tactics. It is also an ancient sport with a very age. Whether it is Cuju in China or Habastom which was once popular in Greece and Rome, it was actually a kind of football in past. There are many professional football matches all over world, such as Chinese Super League and English Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, World Cup, etc. Based on long history of football itself, this has led to bottlenecks in development of football in education industry, and there are a series of problems that restrict development of teaching industry, such as delays, too traditional and fixed ideas.

The Defensive Golden Index: A novel method to rank football player defensive performance for Fútbol Club Barcelona

This study sought to create a formula called the Defensive Golden Index (DGI) that assigns an index to each player according to his individual and collective defensive performance. This method helps identify the best-ranked players in defending play, designated as Defensive Golden Players. The study was organized in two main phases: (1) selection, definition, and validation, including weighting assignment, of a set of variables associated with players’ defensive performance by applying statistical techniques to standardize variable values that compose the DGI formula; and (2) applicability of the DGI formula to rank players’ performance of Fútbol Club Barcelona (FCB) according to the opponents’ level in 38 games of La Liga 2018–2019. A set of variables (e.g. tackles, anticipation, successful interception, successful 1 × 1 defensive) were included in a questionnaire and (re)conceptualized based on previous literature and author’s experience as coaches and match analysts. The survey was reviewed by 11 football experts to ascertain the importance of variables, as well as validate and determine the weight of each variable. Each defensive variable was divided by the time played. Then the individual values were subtracted from the mean and divided by the standard deviation of the variable. The results of the DGI formula were obtained by multiplying the weights from the experts for each of the 12 standardized defensive variables by the sum of each variable. In general, the best-ranked FCB players (Defensive Golden Players) were Gerard Piqué, Clement Lenglet, and Sergio Busquets. Moreover, considering the opponents’ levels, the same players were best-ranked, however, with different order in the top three positions. The DGI formula is a valuable method for capturing individual and collective performance of football players in defending play.

Modeling of Football Match Outcomes with Expected Goals Statistic

Aim. Our research examined the predictive capabilities of mathematical models that are solely based on the expected goal statistics obtained from a publicly available database.&#x0D; Method. We collected match and expected goals data for 310 matches from three European Leagues (Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A). We created three probabilistic models based on the expected goals statistic and compared them with two well-established probabilistic models using binomial deviance, squared error, and profitability in the betting market as evaluation metrics.&#x0D; Results. Our best model adjusted the expected goal statistics for homefield advantage and outperformed the two probabilistic models used for comparison. Two of our models were profitable under certain betting conditions.&#x0D; Limitations. Our models explored a simplistic integration of expected goals into a Poisson based probabilistic model and did not include other contributing factors such as a team’s defensive prowess. The number of games simulated was also limited due to the premature closure of the European Leagues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.&#x0D; Conclusions. The use of a probabilistic model based solely on expected goals score statistic can provide some meaningful insight into forecasting the outcome of a football match and can develop useful betting strategies.

Physical Demands and Internal Response in Football Sessions According to Tactical Periodization.

The objectives of the present study were (1)to analyze the internal and external load profile of training and competition carried out by semiprofessional football players during a 27-week period and (2)to examine the possible link between this type of periodization and players' fitness status and their readiness to compete. Training and match data were obtained from 26 semiprofessional football players belonging to the reserve squad of a Spanish La Liga club during the 2018/19 season. For the purpose of this study, the distribution of external and internal load during a typical training microcycle, with 6 or 7 days between matches, was analyzed. Five types of sessions were considered: strength, duration, velocity, preofficial match, and official match. The results showed a different internal and external load profile for each type of session, with the load being consistently higher during matches when compared with training sessions (28.9%-94% higher), showing significant differences in all the variables. There was a clear tapering strategy in the last days of the week to arrive with enough freshness to compete, shown by the decrease of the values in the 2 days before the match (15%-83% reduction, depending on the variable). Furthermore, the horizontal alternation of the load allowed the players to maintain their fitness level during the 27-week period. Our findings suggest that this weekly periodization approach could help achieve a double conditional target, allowing a short tapering strategy to face the match with enough freshness and serving as a strategy for maintaining or optimizing players' physical performance during the season.

UNDERSTANDING LA LIGA: ARE MATCH PERFORMANCES AND PLAYER MARKET VALUE RELATED?

Football- one of the most popular sports worldwide, has emerged as a huge centre of business. Through this research study, I aim to understand the relationship between match performances of footballers and their respective values in the European Transfer Market. This paper explores this particular trend in the latest season of La Liga 2019/20 (Spanish Division one football). This study also focuses on understanding whether players of foreign nationalities have been understood to have a higher value compared to the home-grown players of the league.

A Longitudinal Exploration of Match Running Performance during a Football Match in the Spanish La Liga: A Four-Season Study.

This study aimed to analyze and compare the match running performance during official matches across four seasons (2015/2016–2018/2019) in the top two professional leagues of Spanish football. Match running performance data were collected from all matches in the First Spanish Division (Santander; n = 1520) and Second Spanish Division (Smartbank; n = 1848), using the Mediacoach® System. Total distance and distances of 14–21 km·h−1, 21–24 km·h−1, and more than 24 km·h−1, and the number of sprints between 21 and 24 km·h−1 and more than 24 km·h−1 were analyzed. The results showed higher total distances in the First Spanish Division than in the Second Spanish Division (p < 0.001) in all the variables analyzed. Regarding the evolution of both leagues, physical demands decreased more in the First Spanish Division than in the Second Spanish Division. The results showed a decrease in total distance and an increase in the high-intensity distances and number of sprints performed, although a clearer trend is perceived in the First Spanish Division (p < 0.001; p < 0.01, respectively). Knowledge about the evolution of match running performance allows practitioners to manage the training load according to the competition demands to improve players’ performances and reduce the injury rate.

The incidence and mechanism of heading in European professional football players over three seasons.

There are concerns surrounding the risk of neurodegenerative diseases associated with football (soccer) heading. The aim of this study was to conduct analysis on the incidence and mechanism of heading in the "Big 5" professional European football leagues (Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Premier League, La Liga and Serie A) and one lower tier professional league (English Championship) from 2016/17 to 2018/19. Match event data from 7147 matches were obtained from Opta Sports data feed. The data were parsed to extract header event details including player position, coordinates on the field, header type and preceding match event (including distance football travelled). Incidence data were reported as headers per match or match headers per player. Medians and interquartile ranges (IQR) were reported and either the Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test were conducted for comparisons between positions and leagues. In the "Big 5" leagues, the most headers per match occurred during the Premier League (111.2 headers per match). However, the lower tier English Championship had the highest number of headers per match overall (139.0 headers per match). In all leagues, defenders had the greatest median number of match headers per player (P<.001). The highest median distance travelled by the football during a preceding match event was for goal kicks (57.5m; IQR 53.7-61.1). The findings add necessary information for current longitudinal studies aiming to understand the potential link between football heading and neurodegenerative diseases. These studies should account for league, playing position, and level of play.

Comparison of Goal Scoring Patterns in “The Big Five” European Football Leagues

The objective of the study was to compare goal scoring patterns among the “Big Five” European football leagues during the 2009/2010–2018/2019 seasons. A total of 18 pattern dimensions related to the offense pattern, the shooting situation and the scoring time period were evaluated. Kruskal–Wallis analyses revealed significant pattern differences among the five leagues. The Spanish La Liga showed a greater proportion of goals from throw-ins. The English Premier League had a higher tendency to score from corner kicks. The German Bundesliga had the greatest number of goals from counterattacks and indirect free kicks, and the Italian Serie A had the greatest proportion of penalties. Ligue 1’s scoring ability is weaker than that of the other leagues, especially Bundesliga. The Bundesliga had an overwhelming advantage in goals scored on big chances with assists, while the Premier League had an advantage in goals scored with assists that were not from big chances. However, the differences among the five leagues in the mean goals scored in the last 15 min and the goals from elaborate attacks and direct free kicks were not statistically significant. These results provide a valuable addition to the knowledge of different goal patterns of each league and allow us to better understand the differences among the leagues.

Guía Marca: cambio y regularidades en un cuarto de siglo (1995-2020)

El presente artículo de investigación analiza la trayectoria de la publicación anual Guía Marca de la Liga de Fútbol Profesional durante sus veinticinco años de edición. Con el objetivo de comprender cuáles han sido los cambios esenciales que la han convertido en un icono informativo, se ha estudiado desde vertientes cuantitativas y cualitativas, las diferentes etapas de producción a través de los contenidos que han adquirido protagonismo: aspectos formales como portadas, titulares y paginado. Así como análisis informativo de las diferentes secciones: estudios estadísticos, fútbol profesional y categorías inferiores, selecciones nacionales y fútbol femenino. A raíz del éxito en sus primeros años, se convirtió en la guía deportiva por excelencia, hecho que la mantiene hasta la actualidad, adaptándose a las posibilidades que ofrece el papel. En el ámbito de la documentación futbolística, pocas publicaciones mantienen un ejemplar que ofrezca más de cuatrocientas páginas cada año y en formato papel, hecho trascendental en el actual contexto digital, que la sitúa como un referente periodístico y divulgativo.

Racial Migrations: New York City and the Revolutionary Politics of the Spanish Caribbean by Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof

Reviewed by: Racial Migrations: New York City and the Revolutionary Politics of the Spanish Caribbean by Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof Alexa Rodríguez (bio) Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof. 2019. Racial Migrations: New York City and the Revolutionary Politics of the Spanish Caribbean. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 369 pp. ISBN: 978-0-6911-8353-4. Histories of the late-nineteenth century struggle for Cuban independence typically highlight the actions and voices of white Cubans such as José Martí and Tomás Estrada Palma. Jesse E. Hoffnung-Garskof’s Racial Migrations: New York City and the Revolutionary Politics of the Spanish Caribbean, 1850–1902 details the story of the nineteenth-century Cuban revolution beyond these traditional narratives. It follows Rafael Serra, Sotero Figueroa, Gerónimo and Juan Bonilla, Gertrudis Heredia, and other Afro-Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban members of La Liga, an “educational and recreational society” that became a hub for the Cuban nationalist movement in the early 1890s, as they emerged as integral figures in the battle for Cuban independence. This trans-national microhistory spans across Cuba, Puerto Rico, Key West, and New York City, and uses a narrative-style to document the ways these Afro-Caribbean artisans organized themselves, navigated, and negotiated racialized spaces within the United States and Greater Caribbean. By employing a “‘migrants’ eye-view of the world,” Hoffnung-Garskof finds that notions of racial inclusion were intensely debated and molded by Puerto Rican and Cuban multiracial communities, publications, and institutions (12). Therefore, Martí’s memorialized declarations for racial inclusion and universal male suffrage were shaped by the ideas, efforts, and experiences of these Afro-Caribbean migrants. Yet, one of the unintended consequences of assisting Martí’s rise to prominence was that by doing so, these Afro-Caribbean migrants diminished their own contributions to the independence movement. As a result, they have [End Page 176] largely been forgotten in histories of the period. In Racial Migrations, Hoffnung-Garskof artfully weaves the story of this group of Puerto Rican and Cuban migrants from their birth, through their travels throughout the Caribbean and US, their convergence at La Liga in New York City, and concludes with the emergence of Tomás Estrada Palma as the new leader of the Cuban Revolutionary Party. Chapter 1, “Beginnings,” provides a detailed account of their personal histories, or “self-making,” as Hoffnung-Garskof terms it (12). It describes the family histories of Rafael Serra, Gertrudis Heredia, Sotero Figueroa, Manuela Aguayo, Juan Gualberto, and José Martí, several of the main historical actors in the book. He traces the ancestry of their parents and situates their families within the social hierarchies of the time and their countries of origin. Using baptismal records, Hoffnung-Garskof draws attention to how racial distinction, determinations of legitimate and illegitimate births, as well as access to wealth and social status, all impacted how these actors were able to move across spaces. Information about the early years of schooling and work of the historical actors also provided a foundation for why these individuals intentionally sought to create an educational space like La Liga for men of the “class of color” and demonstrates how doing so was a political act. Chapter 2, “The Public Square,” contextualizes the development of La Liga within the history of previous efforts in both Puerto Rico and Cuba that combined politics of reform and revolution. Examining how the struggle for civil rights, suffrage, and revolution were all heavily divided by race, the chapter makes evident how race shaped how individuals like Serra and Figueroa were able to enter the public sphere and become prominent public figures. This chapter also introduces two new characters, the brothers Gerónimo and Juan Bonilla, both of Cuban descent and living in Key West, and who eventually worked with Serra in New York City in La Liga. Hoffnung-Garskof examines the spaces the actors navigated as members of the Cuban diaspora in Florida and recreates their racially and ethnically based communities and networks. Chapter 3, “Community,” explores the racial and ethnic networks created by other Afro-Caribbean migrants when they first arrived in New York City and that helped them navigate the racially segregated US. Interested in the understanding the experiences of those...

Professional football in times of COVID-19: did the home advantage effect disappear in European domestic leagues?

This study aimed to examine how the home advantage (HA) and home teams’ performances changed in European football leagues (German Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga, English Premier League, Portuguese Primeira Liga and Italian Serie A) with the measures imposed by legal authorities to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic (no audience, five substitutions and “cooling breaks”). The HA (Pollard’s rescaled method) and home performance-related statistics of matches contested before (n = 491) and after (n = 491) the 2019–2020 season break were calculated and compared, for each league and for all five, using the paired t-test or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Overall, the HA did not significantly decrease in European leagues (from 16.4% to 11.6%; trivial effect size [ES]); however, a one-sample t-test revealed that the HA after the COVID-19 break was significantly greater than 0% (small ES). While the HA completely disappeared in the Bundesliga (large ES), its effects remained stable in La Liga (small ES), Premier League and Primeira Liga (trivial ES), and even increased in Serie A (medium ES) after the return. Home teams’ performances in these leagues were influenced to different extents by the COVID-19 situation, especially by playing behind closed doors. Altogether, significant decreases were observed for total shots, tackles (medium ES), shots on target and pass success (small ES). Therefore, the role of crowd support seems to vary depending on the context characteristics in which football is played. Also, the augmented “information transfer” from coaches to players during COVID-19 matches might have masked the crowd effects on the HA.

Does Compliance with Financial Fair Play Rules Improve the Football Clubs' Sport Performance and Their Chances to Reach UEFA Competitions?

This paper evaluates the European football clubs' compliance with UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and the effect of financial stability on sport achievements. The empirical analysis uses data of teams competing in the 1st division of four top domestic leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1) over the seasons 2009/10 to 2015/16. We control for team quality through the annual wages (in quadratic form) and use the Wage-to-Revenue (WRR) ratio as a proxy variable to measure how close the clubs meet the break-even requirements. Our results reveal that greater financial responsibility implies better sport performance and higher chances to qualify for the Champions and Europa Leagues.

Икономика на преживяванията: спортният бранд и телевизията

The main focus of the article is the „La Liga Santander” sports brand. The author examines how this particular brand takes the form of a performance in TV (sports channels), and how it achieves this through Experience economy. The text analyzes various instances of TV channels that display what their brand history and traditions are, and how the brand has earned people’s loyalty.