| Abstract [eng] |
This paper examines the construction of the image of Lithuanian football in the media from 2015 to 2025. The analysis of media texts and other sources seeks to identify the discourses articulated by different public actors to problematize the never–ending idealization of the Soviet past alongside the problematization of present day problems. To achieve this, the study analyzes news articles, public Facebook posts and podcasts. This approach allows to see exactly how journalists, football professionals, officials and fans frame the current state of of the sport. The findings show that public opinion is still divided. On one hand, there is a strong sense of nostalgia for the Soviet era, espcially to the late 80s. People often tend to romanticize the old victories of the Vilniaus „Žalgiris“ team and the memories of full stadiums, using them as a standard to judge the present. On the other hand, a crisis discourse completely dominates the current media space, painting football through the lens of poor infrastructure and stadiums, corruption, bad national team results and on–going stagnation. To conclude it all, the research show that there is a tension between a perfect, idealized past and a deeply problematic present, which makes it incredibly hard to build a positive, forward–looking image for Lithuanian football. |
