Youth Sport Proceedings of the 8th Conference for youth sport Mojca Doupona Topič (ed.) Ljubljana, 2016 Naslov / Title: Youth Sport: Proceedings of the 8th Conference for youth sport in Ljubljana, 9-10 December 2016. Izdala / Published by: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport, Gortanova 22, SI- 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Urednik / Editor: Mojca Doupona Topič Oblikovanje in računalniški prelom / Manuscript designer: Samo Rauter Oblikovanje naslovnice / Cover design: Snežana Madič Lešnik Naklada: 400 © 2016 University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport. Vse pravice pridržane / All rights reserved. Cofinancing: The Foundation for the financing of sports organizations in Slovenia CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 796.034-053.4/.6(082)(0.034.2) CONFERENCE for Youth Sport (8; 2016; Ljubljana) Youth sport: proceedings of the 8th Conference for Youth Sport Ljubljana, 9-10 December 2016 / Mojca Doupona Topič (ed.). - Ljubljana: Faculty of Sport, 2016 ISBN 978-961-6843-78-2 1. Gl. stv. nasl. 2. Doupona Topič, Mojca 289572608 2 YOUNG ATHLETES AS A NATIONAL IDOLS – WITH WHAT CHALLENGES DO THEY HAVE TO FACE? Bartoluci, S.1, Doupona Topič, M.2 1University of Zagreb, Faculty of Kinesiology, Zagreb, Croatia 2University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport, Ljubljana, Slovenia ABSTRACT Athletes’ top results are considered the most important factors of promotion and thus of every nation’s or country’s identification; elite athletes are most often called “ambassadors of the country”. Elite athletes enjoy a special status in society, one might even say they are different from regular mortals, while some of them even become ‘immortal’. Young people need idols. If idols are looked at from the cultural perspective, a star is somebody offering a personality construct by demonstrating values that individual’s project onto themselves. A study of the media image of the biathlete Jakov Fak is not only interesting from the aspect of youth’s identification with a sports idol who has been competing for two countries, but also in terms of the globalisation and migration processes that are changing our attitude to a person’s national identity and the society as such. This paper deals with the case of Jakov Fak, a highly successful Croatian/Slovenian athlete in biathlon. He was forced to make his choices of citizenship with the aim of better training conditions and finding ways to attain success. This case allows us to observe how such choice brought questions of identification to the general public. INTRODUCTION Athletes’ top results are considered the most important factors of promotion and thus of every nation’s or country’s identification; elite athletes are most often called “ambassadors of the country” (Bednarik et al., 2002). From the microeconomic perspective, one could say that images of elite athletes are an effective factor in the promotion of the brands and the companies which, in a business relationship, sponsor athletes. In a world saturated with fame, almost everyone seems to be in the process of creating or at least enabling the existence of famous and admired people. Although celebrities are in fact complete strangers who one will probably never meet, they can importantly affect the way a person copes with their everyday life and their attitude to life (Andrews & Jackson, 2001). Elite athletes enjoy a special status in society, one might even say they are different from regular mortals, while some of them even become ‘immortal’. Elite athletes are worshipped by masses of people, they feature in the newspapers, are much spoken about in public and represent an image that many recreational athletes have in mind when practising sport. While elite athletes become celebrities due to a number of characteristics and traits, it is most often what they do that turns them into celebrities. Professional work and top results are undoubtedly what distinguishes elite athletes from the general public. Particularly interesting are those athletes who have another point of distinction 3 apart from their high performance levels – this might be their looks, behaviour, physical or mental characteristics or some other accomplishment that only a few people are good at. Such an elite athlete can, with help of a team of experienced experts, polish their attributes up to the point that they become the ‘one and only’ (Škorc, 2005). In the case of stars, it is the difference between commonness and extraordinariness that underpins their stardom system. According to Mills (2000), a celebrity is defined as follows: “These are the names that need no further identification. Those who know them outnumber those who need a detailed explanation. Wherever the celebrities go, they are recognised with some excitement and awe. More or less continuously they are the material for the media of communication and entertainment. And when that time ends, everybody remembers them with admiration”. The power of a celebrity is not only a consequence of their individual identity and charisma but also of their audiences’ admiration. The star system does not create stars by itself, but only offers an individual who is then crowned by people as a star. An important role is played by the media which, using the modern methods of the public relations industry, ensure that the celebrity comes as close as possible to their audiences (Škorc, 2005). Young people need idols. If idols are looked at from the cultural perspective, a star is somebody offering a personality construct by demonstrating values that individual’s project onto themselves. An idol is an embodiment of ideals. A prerequisite for a person to become a celebrity in cultural terms is their popularity in a given space and time, which depends on the ideology of the time and its manifestations. A study of the media image of the biathlete Jakov Fak is not only interesting from the aspect of youth’s identification with a sports idol who has been competing for two countries, but also in terms of the globalisation and migration processes that are changing our attitude to a person’s national identity and the society as such. Sport can play a seemingly contradictory role in global processes and identity formation. In terms of sociological processes, it is not surprising that sport extends emotional identification between members of different societies and civilisations, and, at the same time, fuels decivilising counter- thrusts (Maguire, 2005). Global sport processes, therefore, can lead to the under- or dependent development of a nation’s talent (Maguire & Pearton, 2000). When a young person in a country decides to pursue a sports career, his choice is socially constructed as a legitimate path enabling a qualified young athlete to penetrate foreign markets. The case of Jakov Fak is of interest from a sociological perspective because it allows us to observe how individual, sports-related choices brought questions of identification before the general public, and laid a heavy burden on the shoulders of a young athlete. What should you do when your own country calls you a traitor if you decide to join another country’s team? The issues of training and finding ways to attain success in sports are also closely linked with questions of media attention and national/ethnic discourse in this instance. This paper deals with the case of Jakov Fak, who made his choices despite having to face challenges unusual for a young athlete. 4 MATERIALS AND METHODS This paper deals with different media interpretations of the case of Jakov Fak in Croatia and Slovenia. We used content and discourse analysis of print media. The analysis was performed on all texts concerning this topic published in three high-circulation Croatian daily newspapers – Jutarnji list, Večernji list and Sportske novosti – and three high-circulation Slovenian daily newspapers – Dnevnik, Delo and Ekipa – three days before tournaments, during tournaments, and three days after tournaments. We analysed two sporting events – the 2009 World Biathlon Championship and the 2010 Winter Olympics. RESULTS The issue of athletes migrating or transferring from one club to another or from one national team to another in European sports is determined in relation to the globalisation process, which has also affected the sports industry. Several studies have researched the mobility of athletes who move across national borders, and these can contribute to a better understanding of athletes’ migrations, along with the theories of migration in a general sense (Eliasson, 2009). There are many reasons for migration. The first is usually the athlete’s financial gain. Nevertheless, the main reason appears to be sport-related ambitions as the athlete wants to improve their chances of success and pursue a real career (Elliot & Maguire, 2008). The analysis of the discourse in media writings shows the complex situation in which this young athlete found himself since he was competing for one state but training in another. Both the Croatians and the Slovenians wanted to bring him under their flag. When Jakov said: “With 99.9-percent certainty I claim that I will compete for Slovenia. Another solution I can’t find. I know that the Croatian people will be disappointed and will see me as a traitor, but I have clean hands when looking for a livelihood” (Delo, 22.7.2009), he was labeled in the Croatian media. This was not the first case of labeling a Croatian athlete who had changed their citizenship to ensure better sports training conditions. Although a few months before it had been completely unknown to the Croatian media, biathlon was suddenly becoming an important political issue. Politicisation of this case was only to intensify after Jakov won an Olympic Bronze medal in 2010. Young athletes take on high risks when they leave their home country for a sports career. They must settle in a new cultural environment as professional athletes so as to earn physical capital, not academic capital that can secure their social status.