Sports cinema as a factor in the integration of sports into popular culture
Keywords:
sports cinema, popular culture, sport, sports theme, society, kinds of sports, cinematography, film, sports‑related topic.Abstract
Objective of the study is to study sports cinema as a separate genre, to compare various historical processes in popular culture, in which Cinema transforms the perception of sport from a highly specialized activity to a universal cultural code.
Methods and structure of the study. Using comparative analysis, structural-logical methods, and content analysis of open sources, we explored the role of sports cinema in popular culture both internationally and in developed countries.
Results and conclusions. Since Hollywood played a leading role in world cinema, setting the tone and standards for quality filmmaking, genre formats also relied on Hollywood films, which popularized sports themes within established film genres. However, sports cinema in developed countries is based on studio policies, public demand, and government support.
Sports cinema allows us to consider not only genre films and documentaries, but also sports motifs in other genres and, accordingly, their integration into popular culture, which is expressed in the functions of sports films include myth-making (creating heroic narratives), socializing (transmitting values), and commercialization. Sports and film festivals are held by countries as platforms for cultural exchange, and sports films, in turn, allow them to reflect sociocultural processes, convey certain ideals and norms of society, shape or break social stereotypes, and highlight cultural specifics that reflect regional history through the prism of sport. The interrelationship between cinema and popular culture has led to the popularization of sports, and therefore a healthy lifestyle, as well as established, traditional, and new sports.
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