Spazialità e sport: le narrazioni del ciclismo negli spot ufficiali

Abstract

Sport, both as a lived practice and as an inclusive social practice, is also experienced starting from a multiplicity of representations, in a series of mutually influential productions and reproductions. The evocative power of media narratives has direct consequences on the ways in which Sport is, or can be, followed by an audience. From the perspective of Geography, the representations of sport imply a fundamental spatial dimension which is often not limited to the mere place where it is practiced. This is the case of Cycling which, by definition, presupposes different and wide spaces. This work analyzes the potential of cycling and two official spots of the Tour of Italy (Giro d’Italia) and Tour de France, to investigate the ways in which the media narrative of the two sporting events is constructed. In addition, particular attention will be paid to the representation of the spatial dimension that cannot be considered only as a background for athletic feats, but, above all, for its agency that highlights the necessary and constant interaction between humans and the environment in Sports.