Spanish fútbol in an Irish bar in Downtown Baltimore
The first American bar I watched a fútbol game in was an Irish bar in Fells Point. I had heard from a friend that Slaintes was THE Barça bar in the area and that it would be my best bet to try and catch El Clasico. I found this rather surprising, considering Slaintes was located in Fells Point (which is a prime brunch destination and the game was to be shown at 10am on a Saturday) and also considering Slaintes is an Irish bar. I assumed too quickly, and upon arriving at the bar, was promptly greeted with a swarm of fanatics donning Barcelona kits spanning the years. To my pleasure, there were only two fans in Real Madrid jerseys, who did not cause much of a disturbance during the game. I was elated. Following the response I normally got from my peers when the subject of international fútbol arose, I was overwhelmed by the number of fans who had come out to this small, overcrowded bar to support the same team as me. This was the first time that I had been able to support my team (in the United States) surrounded by other people who were equally, if not increasingly, as dedicated as I was.
For even those who do not follow the sport, El Clasico is a recognizable event. “Arguably the biggest game in club football each year,” if not one of the largest sporting events in the world, El Clasico “has drawn over 400 million viewers,” which one can safely assume does not stem solely from F.C Barcelona and Real Madrid fans. Normally, this is the part (when speaking of the topic in person) Americans who do not watch fútbol will get defensive. Superbowl 50, Carolina Panthers v Denver Broncos, had 71,000 viewers. El Clasico in April of the same year drew in over 99,000 viewers. Additionally, El Clasico is played twice each year, once at each team’s home stadium, and draws in about the same size crowd each time. It may be notable to add that El Clasico has been increasing in popularity in the states enough to demand a modified version to be played on American soil. F. C Barcelona and Real Madrid will be making their way to the United States this summer, where they will face off one more in Miami in late July.
My goal is to go back to Slaintes to watch another Barcelona game for the ‘participant observation’ aspect of my research. As much as I will be going to watch the game, my main purpose for going will be to watch and engage with the crowd. Time dependent, I have a few ideas for how I would like to conduct my observations. I would like to go to Slaintes and observe the crowd who attends week after week (or simply multiple weekends within a set period of time), I would like to observe the crowd during the second El Clasico of the season on April 23, and I would like to observe the crowds in Slaintes during games played by teams stationed in the United States (D.C United). Additionally, I would like to observe the response from other restaurants in the area when requested to air fútbol matches. From previous experience, I was told they could not or would not show the games due to lack of interest, but I would like to further test this.
