Heroism, media and Sport Club Corinthians Paulista: a case study on the final of 2012 Libertadores Cup through the point of view of Folha de S. Paulo newspaper

Abstract

From the historical process that distinguished soccer as an element of national culture, its outstanding projection as a modality that has expanded its relationship with the financial, economic and commercial sectors. In this sense, the media became an important mediator of tensions linked to football practices, creating representations that affect the formation of the Brazilian sports identity. The purpose of this article is to analyze how the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo portrayed the unprecedented winning of the 2012 Libertadores Cup, by the Sport Club Corinthians Paulista. Methodologically characterized as a historical survey of the present time, we analyzed the editions of 4, 5 and 6 July, treating it, therefore, as a case study. It was found that the journal is a conducive way for the construction of narratives from the figure of the hero, preparing the speech according to commercial interests that aim to consolidate a sports culture aimed toward consumption.