Brazilians' first international sports adventures

A view from the press on the 1907 Southamerican Olympic Games

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze Brazilian athletes' participation in the South American Olympic Games held in 1907 in Montevideo/Uruguay through the publications published by the press in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The sources selected for this purpose were the following newspapers: Correio Paulistano, Jornal do Brazil, O Paiz and O Século. There is evidence of various tensions in the incipient Brazilian sporting sphere, which implied definitions of amateurism and professionalism, as well as disputes over the sporting protagonism between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In conclusion, the article points out that, even in this scenario of tensions, the Brazilian press tried to produce its first sports heroes.