Sports Narratives and Values in Film: A Study Presented at the Hermes Congress in Tenerife
On June 6, 2025, our researchers Ludovico Longhi and Iliana Ferrer, together with Professor Daniel Arrébola from the Faculty of Communication, presented the paper Analysis of the Representation of Values in Sports Narratives at the 5th International Hermes Congress on Communication, Audiovisual Media and Analysis, held in Tenerife.
The study aims to analyze how cinematic narratives within the sports genre convey human and Olympic values through their narrative structures. This work is part of the pre-competitive project Sports on Screen, directed by Ludovico Longhi and funded by the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
The research employs the EVA protocol, a methodological tool designed to evaluate the communicative effectiveness of audiovisual stories in transmitting values such as resilience, work ethic, cooperation, and personal growth. The presentation included an analysis of two classic sports films directed by Sam Wood: The Pride of the Yankees (1942) and The Stratton Story (1949). The study contrasted the celebratory and non-triumphalist endings of both films, assessing their impact on the audience's perception of values.
Among the most representative values identified by the audience were cooperation and effort. These values, fundamental to the Olympic context, were clearly present in the narratives of the analyzed films. Cooperation was evident in both teamwork and the relationship between athletes and their coaches, while effort was perceived as a key value in the pursuit of excellence and personal achievement.
The study seeks to provide tools for designing narrative strategies with an educational purpose, especially in academic settings and the promotion of Olympic culture. The presentation of this research at the Hermes Congress underscores the research team’s commitment to developing audiovisual analysis that combines textual interpretation, audience perception, and the evaluation of the ethical and educational impact of sports cinema.