Ignacio Ramos Altamira, Frontones madrileños: Auge y caída de la pelota vasca en Madrid, Ediciones La Libreria 2013

Before football completely monopolised the attention of Madrid fans, Basque pelota was the sport that sparked the most passions among the residents of Villa y Corte. From the end of the 19th century, professional pelotaris competed in popularity with the most famous bullfighters and frontons were built for pelota with a capacity for four thousand and five thousand spectators and the comforts of a theatre. Over time, all these frontons - except the Frontón Beti Jai, which survives in ruinous conditions on Calle Marqués de Riscal - disappeared, as did the passion for pelota. This book recovers the unknown history of the rise and fall of Basque pelota in Madrid and details about the main frontons that existed in the city until a few decades ago, in a story full of surprising discoveries: the success of cesta-punta, the Madrid pelotari who was the first Spanish Olympic champion, the performances of Mata Hari and Anita Delgado at the Frontón Central, women pelotaris, the pelota section of Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid... In short, the living history of Madrid through its frontons.
Source: https://www.casadellibro.com/libro-frontones-madrilenos/9788498732047/2087445