Research Global Media Journal 2016 Vol.Special Issue ISSN 1550-7521 No.S3:01 European Influence on Sport and Sport Press Formation and Development in Russia Alekseev KA*, Gromova LP and Silantev KV Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia *Corresponding author: Alekseev KA, Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Universitetskaya Naberejnaya, 7/9, 199034, Russia, Tel: +7 812 328-20-00; E-mail: [email protected] Received date: May 06, 2016; Accepted date: June 02, 2016; Published date: June 10, 2016 Copyright: © 2016 Alekseev KA, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Citation: Alekseev KA, Gromova LP, Silantev KV. European Influence on Sport and Sport Press Formation and Development in Russia. Global Media Journal. 2016, S3:01 this case, is of major significance. That is why the problem of peculiarities, directions and cause-and-effect relations in sport Abstract development becomes key and basic for the investigator of sport journalism for any further studies. In its turn, the system The article deals with the phenomenon of foreign of sport organization in each country is being formed in influence on sport and sport journalism development in dependence on the complex of reasons, involving the historical Russia at the turn of XIX and XX centuries. Due to the traditions, the type of state structure, the dominating ideology, number of objective circumstances, connected with the the social-economic conditions, the level of science, peculiarities of historical development in Russia, sport engineering and social culture development. took roots difficultly in Russian society; in these conditions, a special role in its distribution belonged to For instance, as applied to the XX century, Tomlinson and the foreigners. The article evaluates the significance of Young distinguish several historically developed clusters of contribution of people, inhabiting and coming to the European sport: "Leaving aside the continuity of folk games Russian Empire, who represented different sport systems, (such as skittles, bowls, quoits), and regionally distinct accepted in Europe. The study of this problematic is of activities such as hurling (Ireland) and bullfighting, we would great importance, as foreign participation in formation of contend that Europe had at least four clusters of sport with Russian sport and sport periodicals, highlighting it up to varying physical forms and cultural meanings across the the Revolution in 1917, predetermined a number of twentieth century: the British, the German, the Scandinavian, specific features and vectors of development. and the Soviet" [1]. Respectively, it is possible to trace "the genetic kinship" of the European sport with the Soviet sport system and The unique peculiarities of sport system in France and its Soviet physical-sport press, mainly used the traditions of special role as a mediator in sport distribution from the pre-revolutionary period. Despite the stable opinion "British cradle" further on to the European countries, are about the antagonism and insuperable contradictions of proved by Dietschy: "France occupies a special place in the "Western" and "Soviet" sport system, they have common history of European sport, halfway between that of the British sources in the historical past. on the one hand and other continental sporting cultures on the other" [2]. Keywords: Sport; Sport press; Foreign influence; The There is a number of investigations, describing the way how systems of physical development; Foreign communities; Sport the institutes of sport and physical development had been games; Gymnastics developing in other regions of Europe and world: Latin and North America, former African colonies of European countries etc. [3-8]. The majority of authors agree, that sport, due to its Introduction immanent features, depending on the purpose, it is practiced for, can serve both to internationalization, harmonization of The significance of the problem under study international and interstate relations, and present the efficient way to assert national identity and independence. The evolution of sport press in one or another country in the definite period is determined, first of all, by two Problem statement constituents - the sophistication of sport movement in whole and the state of journalism system. At the intersection of these By the XIX century, sport has become an ordinary two factors, the same as in the case with the other specialized phenomenon for the well-grounded part of European press sphere, the specificity of the reflected subject, sport in population, where the drive for social health and physical This article is available from: globalmediajournal.com 1 Global Media Journal 2016 ISSN 1550-7521 Vol.Special Issue No.S3:01 perfection grows, as well as the increase of longevity and of 1917, and predetermined the number of specific features overcome of senility. However, the first attempts to distribute and development vectors. sport in Russia met serious opposition due to the number of Respectively, it is possible to trace "the genetic kinship" of factors, the sources of which lie in the history, geography, the European sport with the Soviet sport system and Soviet diversity of mentality, demography, religion, in social processes physical-sport press, mainly used the traditions of pre- and cultural sphere. Publications in newspapers and magazines revolutionary period. The circumstances of transformation of up to the beginning of the XX century show, that sport took the pre-revolutionary sport system in the physical-sport roots in Russia quite difficultly. For instance, one of the most system, cardinally different in principles, functions and prominent sport figures of that time, Ivan Lebedev, purposes, provide an opportunity to make a conclusion, that recollected: "At that time, "sport" and "idiotism" meant almost "the Soviet sport and its press were created not on the blank equal. In the opinion of the society, only the man, unable to space, but on the strong foundation of thoughts, best mental work, could take interest in weights, wrestling, practices, models, proven techniques - on the foundation, that gymnastics etc. [9]. survived from the past. The Soviet period turned out to be the This is not to say that sport remained absolutely alien successor of traditions, which were disclaimed and phenomenon for Russians, but it was practiced by rather small dissociated, but it could not get rid of this succession impulse" groups of enthusiasts, frequently not understood and [11]. This investigation is the subsequent logical step, aimed at condemned even in their families. A complex process of sport understanding of the fact, how the sport traditions were ideas rooting in mass consciousness of the Russian society was formed prior to the Revolution, and, in particular, at the explained by the peculiarities of the dominant mentality, revelation of aspect, covering the foreign influence. originality in development and worldview of different classes: aristocracy, intelligentsia of different classes, clergy, The Investigation Procedure merchants, peasantry and proletariat. The sport, with the real body cult, obtained in Europe, faced The selection of methodological procedures in the work is great opposition in Russia, especially on the part of Russian determined by the problematic and subject of investigation. intelligentsia, characterized by hypertrophied attention to The problem of understanding of formation, development and spiritual and intellectual development, frequently at the dimming processes of pre-revolutionary sport sphere, as a expense of the corporal one. Despite quite wide range of sport natural phenomenon, taking place under the influence of types, practiced in Russia prior to the Revolution, the social social, economic and cultural factors, typical of the Russian base of this type of activity was quite narrow. Essentially, in society of the XIX - the beginning of XX century, in conditions the beginning it limited itself to the city bourgeoisie, more of insufficient study of the topic, requires appealing to the open to the cultural Western influence, which was associated sources. Such authentic sources about the epoch under study with progress, energy and industry, and to the war aristocracy, are the sport periodicals, existed in the abovementioned who saw in sport an effective mean to improve the physical period. training of the army. In the second half of the XIX century, Russian journalism The investigator of the history of pre-revolutionary sport presented the developed system of periodicals, aimed at and Olympic movement A.Sunik wrote on this matter: "The different target groups [12]. Being generated in the XVIII problem of shift of foreign, in national experience in the sport century and being developed in keeping with the European sphere to the native ground was a constraining factor of Sport traditions, it borrowed the typological experience of European development in Russia. Sport cannot be "replanted", it shall be press in many ways. Sport journalism in Russia became an grown patiently [10]. It is quite natural, that people of foreign important part of the system, supporting the life activity of the orientation became the sport pioneers. As the Westerners sport sphere. It was born practically following the organized constituted the absolute