LaLiga has been a significant part of Policarpo “Poli” Rodriguez’s life as a sports fan. The ESPN associate manager for programming and acquisitions became enamored with the top-division soccer league growing up as a pre-teen in Caracas, Venezuela.
Rodriguez’s affinity for soccer and LaLiga continued as he joined ESPN as a production intern in 2017, he later transitioned to be a full-time production assistant in the ESPN Next Program in 2018. While in production, Rodriguez broadened his knowledge of soccer and the media industry shaping the way he approaches the relationship with LaLiga.
(Melissa Rawlins/ESPN Images)
ESPN’s coverage of the 253rd FC Barcelona-Real Madrid ElClásico at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday marks the intersection of Rodriguez’s passion with his profession.
For six months, Rodriguez has been the primary liaison between LaLiga N.A. and ESPN entities (Production, Marketing, Digital, Social, Operations, and Communications), helping shape the company’s coverage for this edition of soccer’s most prominent club rivalry match. The nine hours of live ElClásico programming will originate from five cities – Barcelona, Bristol, Conn., Los Angeles, Miami, and Mexico City – across three countries.
In the videos above and below, Rodriguez previews Sunday’s ElClásico on ESPN platforms in English and in Spanish.
Spencer T. Jackson and Mac Nwulu produced the Policarpo Rodriguez videos.
On ESPNFC’s “The Bicycle Diaries” in the YouTube video above, ESPN’s Martin Ainstein interviews Robert Lewandowski to talk about the Barcelona striker’s move to LaLiga, ElClásico and the Barca lifestyle.
253rd ElClásico on ESPN platforms:
- Barcelona: Match commentators and reporters in English and Spanish from Camp Nou in Barcelona
- Los Angeles: Live remotes featuring ESPN analyst and Real Madrid legend Hugo Sanchez, ex-Barcelona and LA Galaxy star Riqui Puig, and Fútbol Americas Herculez Gomez, across ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes Spanish-language shows from Tom’s Watch Bar in downtown Los Angeles, the location of the ElClásico Watch Party, sponsored by LaLiga and ESPN
- Bristol, Conn.: ESPN FC ElClásico pregame, halftime, and postgame editions (ESPN+, Youtube, ESPN App)
- Miami: Two-hour postgame Jorge Ramos y su Banda on ESPN Deportes at 6 p.m.
- Mexico City: Pregame, halftime, and postgame ElClásico editions of Fuera de Juego on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes, Sunday beginning at 3 p.m.
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