Photography and sport: Study of the didactic value of reference images in photojournalism, analysis of the winning photos of the World Press Photo in 2017

Abstract

The media offer, on a daily basis, an idea of sport that influences citizenship's understanding of physical activity. In the case of photography, the visual narrative that appears in the press has a great aesthetic beauty and a show character, focusing mostly on the professional and competitive dimension. This research studies the winning photographs in the World Press Photo photojournalism contest, the most prestigious international photojournalism competition. In particular, the winning works of the 2017 edition were analysed from the perspective of content analysis, with a particular focus on formal and compositional aspects, including photographic technique, as well as the didactic values contained in these images. One of the most important conclusions of this research is the epic and elite-focused dimension of the activity in the most influential photos published in the press. The message of these images associates sport with the professional elite and not with everyday activity or healthy lifestyle habits.