THESE DE DOCTORAT DE L'UNIVERSITE DE RENNES 1 ECOLE DOCTORALE N° 599 Droit et Science Politique Spécialité : Science Politique Par Rosarita CUCCOLI The place for social analysis in the press coverage of sports A comparison of sports newspapers and general press in Italy’s media ecosystem Thèse présentée et soutenue à Rennes, le 23 novembre 2020 Unité de recherche : Arènes - UMR 6051 Rapporteurs avant soutenance : Dominique MARCHETTI Directeur de recherche CNRS, Centre Européen de Sociologie et de Science Politique de l’Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, de l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, et du CNRS Thierry ZINTZ Titulaire de la Chaire Olympique Henri de Baillet Latour & Jacques Rogge en Management des Organisations Sportives, Université Catholique de Louvain Composition du Jury : Président : Dominique MARCHETTI Directeur de recherche CNRS, Centre Européen de Sociologie et de Science Politique de l’Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, de l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, et du CNRS Examinateurs : Jean-François POLO Maître de conférences en Science politique, Institut d’Études Politiques de Rennes Franca RONCAROLO Directrice du Département Cultures, Politique et Société, Université de Turin Eugénie SAITTA Maîtresse de conférences, IUT Rennes – Université de Rennes 1 Thierry ZINTZ Titulaire de la Chaire Olympique Henri de Baillet Latour & Jacques Rogge en Management des Organisations Sportives, Université Catholique de Louvain Dir. de thèse : Erik NEVEU Professeur émérite de Science politique, Institut d’Études Politiques de Rennes Acknowledgments I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Erik Neveu for granting me the honour and privilege of being my academic supervisor for this thesis. While advising my work and making me benefit from his knowledge and experience, he has always shown trust in me, respected my choices and ultimately allowed me to write my own thesis, as opposed to an extension of his ideas. Our exchanges all along the thesis process have reminded me, if ever proof was needed, that greatness comes with kindness. The very first job I could think of after completing secondary school, even before starting university, was being a sports journalist. Life took me elsewhere but sports and journalism were always part of my personal and professional trajectory, one way or another. Sometimes it “just” meant being a passionate fan and enjoying memorable days at the Roland-Garros in Paris, or at the Stadio Dall’Ara in Bologna to follow my favourite football team (Bologna F.C., of course). Other times, it was about learning to play tennis in Bologna, as an adolescent, from Évelyne Terras Papale, the French tennis champion, then a naturalised Italian citizen, who won trophies under both flags – which made me feel proud and joyful. Sports and journalism only merged into my profession in recent times, a little more than ten years ago, and finally through this thesis, which I enjoyed writing from the early days, when it was a shy one-pager, to the final days of the process – largely thanks to Professor Neveu. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dominique Marchetti, Jean-François Polo, Franca Roncarolo, Eugénie Saitta and Thierry Zintz, who accepted to participate in the thesis examination committee. They accepted right away, in the middle of the summer and during the coronavirus pandemic, and this will not be forgotten. In practical terms, this doctoral project would have hardly materialised without the help of Marylène Bercegeay, the coordinator of Arènes – the joint research unit affiliated with the French National Research Council (CNRS), the University of Rennes 1, Sciences Po Rennes and the French School of Public Health (EHESP) – of which I am a member. Marylène was a constant, reliable and reassuring presence all through the administrative process leading to the degree. I would also like to acknowledge all the scholars and experts whom I have cited in this thesis as well as those whom I have not mentioned. The journey of knowledge is only made possible by those who preceded us. To conclude, I would like to thank my family, in Italy and the United States, for their ongoing and unconditional support. Knowing that I am and always shall be a student, they keep treating me as if I were forever young. 4 Table of contents FRENCH ABSTRACT / RESUME EN FRANÇAIS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 LIST OF TABLES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 LIST OF FIGURES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 1. INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 1.1.1 Research questions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 29 1.1.2 Key definitions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 30 1.1.3 Philosophy ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 1.3 METHODOLOGY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 1.3.1 Scope of the study ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 1.3.2 Research approach ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 47 1.3.3 Thesis stylebook ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52 1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 54 2. THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 59 2.1 MEDIA STUDIES AND MEDIA SPORT STUDIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 60 2.2 GATEKEEPING AND SPORTS JOURNALISM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65 2.2.1 The role of Mr. Gates --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65 2.2.2 Determining which stuff will become “news” -------------------------------------------------------------- 70 2.2.3 Traditional media vs. new gatekeepers? -------------------------------------------------------------------- 73 2.2.4 Variants to gatekeeping ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79 2.2.5 A wider framework for gatekeeping studies in sports journalism ------------------------------------ 84 2.3 SPORTS JOURNALISM AS PUBLIC JOURNALISM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 89 2.3.1 Jay Rosen, Davis Merritt and the American tradition of pragmatism ------------------------------- 89 2.3.2 The emergence of solutions journalism ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 95 2.4 THE MEDIA’S RESPONSIBILITY AS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) ----------------------------------------- 102 2.4.1 Between commitment and rhetoric ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 102 2.4.2 The journalist as an employee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 107 2.4.3 CSR when the subject is sport -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 108 3. SPORT IN SOCIETY ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 111 3.1 MAPPING THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF SPORT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 112 3.1.1 The emergence of sports sociology ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 112 3.1.2 Defining “sport” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 116 3.1.3 Sport as a human right ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 123 3.1.4 The social impact of sport ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 128 3.1.5 The analytical categories for a broader taxonomy ----------------------------------------------------- 134 3.2 SPORT AS (POPULAR) CULTURE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 145 3.2.1 Sport as a cultural indicator ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 145 3.2.2 Sport as an opiate of the masses ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 147 3.2.3 The benefits of popularity ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 153 3.3 THE GROWTH OF SPORT THROUGH THE PRESS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 159 3.3.1 The outset of the “sport & media” convergence --------------------------------------------------------