Entertainment or Modern Sport?

The press is not only a relay for sports information, but also an effective communication tool for shaping the social image of physical activities. In this respect the position of the newspaper Auto, founded by the flagships of the car industry in the early 20th century, is particularly interesting. The newspaper’s editorial line developed a competitive vision of physical activities as a competitive game inherent to the capitalist mind-set. In the particular case of table tennis, the economic and editorial stakes of the daily led to two distinct representations: either entertainment, or modern competitive sport. The aim was to win over new readers and to move into a new area in sports. Despite the editorial staff’s efforts, table tennis never managed to move its image away from sports entertainment, which had become a phenomenon of individual consumption in the 1930s.