The Influence of North American Ownership on the Business,Management,and Communication Model of Spanish Professional Football: A Case Study of Real Club Deportivo Mallorca (2016

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the changes in the management model of RCD Mallorca, a LaLiga football club, with the arrival of a new, North American majority shareholder (ACQ Legacy Partners LLC) in 2016. It also analyzes journalists’ perception of the new ownership. Our method is a case study design, using qualitative methodological triangulation: a focus group discussion with non-sports executives of the entity, non-participant observation, in-depth interviews with the CEO of RCD Mallorca and its Director of Communication, as well as semi-structured interviews with journalists that regularly cover the club’s information. The results show how the club has developed its management model from one focused on the short-term to a rational and analytical one that incorporates long-term planning. Meanwhile, journalists criticize that they are experiencing a process of disintermediation, since the club ends up competing with them in content creation thanks to the potential of the new digital environment.

Keywords

football sports journalism Mallorca corporative communication globalization

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The Influence of North American Ownership on the Business,Management,and Communication Model of Spanish Professional Football: A Case Study of Real Club Deportivo Mallorca (2016–2021)

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