Blog Post 8

---

Blog Post 8 “Sports”



THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL “It’s Everywhere”

There is no denying that sports are a big part of Madrid culture especially soccer. Everywhere I went I could see some sort of soccer jersey or athletic apparel related to soccer. I am a huge sports fan myself, but I am not really into soccer. When given the opportunity to go to a soccer game in Spain though I was excited. It was really thrilling to spontaneously buy a soccer ticket to a game that sold out hours later. In Culture Smart, on page 117, it says by the 1950’s soccer had surpassed bullfighting in popularity. I thought like I was really apart of the culture since I was able to participate in something so beloved by the culture as you can see in the picture of my friends and I at the game.



THE RELATIONAL LEVEL “That was quick”

When getting ready to leave for the soccer game we debated what time we should leave. We wanted to get there early in order to get to our seats before the game started since, we knew it would be packed. When we showed up there was barely anyone in the stadium and I was confused since the game was going to start in 30 minutes. When we found our seats the was only one couple in front of us and when talking to them, they assured us that the stadium would be packed in no time. While watching the game I happened to look up and notice that the stadium was completely filled 30 minutes into the game as shown in the picture. In Leading with Cultural Intelligence, on page 131, it says that the Spanish is a polychronic culture, so time is flexible with them. I thought it was crazy that the stadium took that long into the game to get filled. This is different from American sporting events because usually the stadiums are filled at least 15 minutes before the game even starts.



THE SOCIAL LEVEL “Donating Leftovers”

One of the things I noticed when leaving the game was the food that was already cooked in the concession stand was being thrown away. That is a lot of food that is going to waste that could be donated somewhere else. There were a lot of homeless people outside of the stadium begging for money and food. Instead of the concession stand just throwing the food away maybe they could give them to the homeless after the game or donate it to a soup kitchen. I think that this would help those in need instead of just wasting good food.

---