Atletico Madrid Case Study (Coursework Sample)

ATLETICO MADRID CASE STUDY
By Perry Chitas
Atletico Madrid’s failure to regain First Division football at the end of the 200/2001 season was, by all means, the anti-climax of a spirited campaign. Yet it is not surprising, considering that the club’s management concentrated its campaign off the field, where the results mattered most. Having convinced the fans that it was just going to be one season in hell, the management should have ensured that the team was strengthened to allow it bounce back to the first division in the following season. It is, however, important to keep one factor in mind; the club achieved its major objectives as far as maintaining the fans’ support was concerned. What they did not take into account before firing up the Atleti fan base into a frenzy with the “A Season in Hell” campaign, is the fact that they had, unwittingly, raised the fans expectations; hence the possibility of frustration at the end of the season if the team failed to regain promotion. It is said that to whom much is given, much is expected; the Atleti fans gave the club their all, supporting the team through thick and thin. As such, the management’s first campaign, dubbed “A Season in Hell,” failed on one aspect; ensuring that the fans’ expectations of a promotion back to the first division was guaranteed.
The second campaign, which is centeredon the provocative slogan “Daddy, why do we support el Atleti?" is informed by the same interests of the first campaign. The management’s only objective was to keep the fans in place and ensure continued revenue generation. The question is- would they achieve the same results again? How was the fans’ morale affected by the failure to regain first division football? Most importantly, how would the fans perceive another attempt aimed at keeping them flocking back into the stadium without the team showing any improvement on the field? Isn’t there the risk that the fans would see through the financial interests of the club’s management?
Clearly, like the first campaign, the second one is intended to stir up the fans’ passion, emotions, and of course, the “Atleti feeling” in fans. It is all a psychological manipulation of the fans’ feelings for the club. In this light, this campaign will not achieve the same results as the first one. At best, it could prevent some fans from giving up; at worst, fans could see the financial objective of the campaign and decide that all the management wants is a full stadium to keep the money flowing in. This was not the best way to manage the fans’ emotions. The fans wanted results, and a campaign that ignores this need and instead aims to make fans keep digging into their pockets regardless the results, risks provoking a backlash from supporters who may feel cheated.
Accordingly, the second campaign will succeed only if they do something different to maintain the fans’ hope. This must include showing ambition on the field by signing new players. It is suicidal for any club’s management to overlook the fact that fans are the “emotional shareholders of a club.” One of the main reasons why fans support a team and fork out money to watch it play is to give them a reason to taunt their rivals, for rivalry is the juice that raises the adrenaline and makes the game so emotional. However, the management’s focus on the club’s financial prospects risks alienating a section of fans, particularly those who will be critical enough to question the club’s approach in solving its underperformance on the field.
Finally, the true reward to fans for supporting a team so passionately is not reducing the ticket prices, but rather giving them something to talk about even when they are not in the stadium. This includes playing great football, defeating archrivals (why else is the El Classico so adrenaline-charged?), and as much as is possible, winning trophies. However, the management wants to convince fans that winning games or trophies is not important. The father’s response to his son’s question why they support Atleti speaks it all. The response that “Some things just can't be explained, but it's something very, very big,” suggests that the management is not keen about the practical and realistic expectations of fans- regaining promotion and winning important matches. The only thing that can’t be explained is the emotion, passion, and love that fans show for their club- it goes beyond a club’s ability to sign big stars and win trophies; otherwise some of Atleti’s fans could have given up and crossed the road to Real. However, there is a practical reason why fans get frustrated, why their morale gets low- suffering defeats form one match to the next, and generally failing to compete favorably with rivals. That is why angry fans throw stones to the pitch or ...