Sports journalists and North American investors in LaLiga: disintermediation and "disneyization" in RCD Mallorca
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Xavier Ginesta
xavier.ginesta@uvic.cat
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José Luis Rojas Torrijos
jlrojas@us.es
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Nahuel Ivan Faedo
nahuelivan.faedo@uvic.cat
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56754/0718-4867.2023.3252Abstract
LaLiga is one of the professional soccer competitions with the smallest presence of U.S. capital. In Primera División (2021-22 season), only RCD Mallorca was owned by U.S. capital. This article analyzes the changes in the management model of RCD Mallorca after it was bought by ACQ Legacy Partners LLC in 2016, as well as studying the interactions produced between sports journalists and the club's Communication department. The method applied is a focus group with non-sports executives of the entity, in-depth interviews with the CEO of RCD Mallorca, its director of communication, and the Tourism Regional Minister of Mallorca, and semi-structured interviews with journalists who cover the club's information. The results confirm the progressive "disneyization" of professional soccer, the growing disintermediation of the clubs with the press covering their news, and the importance of new corporate values, such as environmental sustainability, in the conceptualization of a soccer brand.Palabras Clave
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