Pérez de Rozas, who is repeatedly asked by students in both programmes to be the main speaker at the ceremony, divided his talk into two parts, “as though it were a football match”. The first part was presented like a class and began with a slideshow of the latest in sports publications, including Magnus, the magazine created by the students in the Master’s programme during the internships they did throughout the programme and whose quality impressed Professor Pérez de Rozas.

“After this first note of optimism”, he said, “it is a good idea to give an example of how important it is for you to continue your training in the intellectual, humanistic and cultural world. Knowledge of the past is essential to producing good work in the present and in the future, because journalists must be familiar with the visual influences of their civilization”. He then showed the audience images of masterpieces in painting that have been reinterpreted through photography.

The sponsor of the seventh edition of the Sports Journalism Postgraduate Programme and the first edition of the Master’s Programme in Sports Journalism encouraged the students to seek out and take advantage of the opportunities that arise in the job market. “In these difficult times, nothing is impossible”, he said. “You will most certainly get a chance. You deserve it. Starting today, you are prepared to enjoy it”. In his lapel, Pérez de Rozas wore the crest of the Basque football club Real Sociedad, a present from student Xabier Zubiri, who is from San Sebastian in the Basque Country, as an example of a small club that managed to win two Spanish Liga titles in the 1980s.

Francesc Cano, the Coordinator of the Master’s and Postgraduate Programmes, gave the closing remarks. He referred to the high level achieved by the students during the programme and wished the new graduates luck.