Sports journalism and the comparative history of press in Brazil: publications policies, chronics, and the football supporters representations at the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro newspapers (1940s to 1960s)

Abstract

This research proposes a comparative reading of two of the largest Brazilian sports newspapers between the decades of 1940 and 1960: the Jornal dos Sports, from the city of Rio de Janeiro and owned by Mário Filho, and the Gazeta Esportiva, from the city of São Paulo and owned by the businessman Casper Líbero. The comparison focuses on three main points: 1. The trajectory of their respective owners and the relations of sports journalism with the political-sports power in both cities - Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; 2. The contrast in the narrative styles of sports columns, as developed by their main columnists, Mario Filho for one, and Tomaz Mazzoni for the other; 3. The analysis of the journalistic representations of the football fan, particularly of the segment self-styled as "organized supporters" or "uniform fans", in each newspaper, during the period of implementation and consolidation of professional football in Brazil, between the 1930s and 1960s, in the form of special reports, daily news and photographic records. At the end of the research, the study proposes an understanding of the similarities and differences of the process of spreading and segmentation of the sports-dedicated press in Brazil during the 20th century, considering as parameter the dynamic of specialized media in Rio de Janeiro, which was the capital of the Republic for a large part of the century, and in São Paulo, the economic and financial center, whose power was also reflected in the professional football sphere. (AU)