This past Friday, I left for Madrid, Spain. My study abroad program, DIS, offers a one-week break during the semester in addition to my week-long study tour and three-day study break at the end of November. I am spending the week in Spain, the first half in Madrid and the last half in Seville. I have included some pictures of my trip so far.
Football (soccer) is one of the most popular sports in Europe, and thus one of the most visible domains for advocacy by athletes. In this journal entry, I will take a look at one example in Spain where an athlete broke with the stance of their national government. Spain is a country with a few distinct cultural regions, some of which have their own separatist/independence movements. In 2017, there was a Catalan independence referendum, which was banned by the Spanish government. Gerard Piqué, a player for Barcelona’s football team and the Spanish national team, posted photos of himself voting at this referendum, openly defying the Spanish government. Here, I think it’s important to note that he did not expressly advocate for Catalan independence. Regardless, although Piqué was not kicked off the Spanish team, he did face intense public scrutiny and ultimately retired from the national team in 2018.
