Sports Politics publishes a systematic review on key research trends in sports audiovisual media
The paper analyzes 270 scientific publications and shows how gender and race replace heroism as the main axes of study across sports films, series, and documentaries.
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The review evaluates 270 publications on sports cinema, series, and documentaries, confirming the rising prominence of gender and race in current academic debate.
The journal Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, ranked Q1 in Cultural Studies, has published the article "The golden age of sports audiovisual media. A systematic review of studies on sports series, films and documentaries", a research review on sports films, series, and documentaries conducted by Anna Tous-Rovirosa, Leonor Balbuena, Laura Pousa, and Rogmary García-Sánchez, within the framework of the Sports Politics project (PID2024-161316OB-I00). The study analyzes the scientific literature published between 2020 and 2025 on sports audiovisual media, paying specific attention to gender, race, health, and audiences.
The review brings together 270 publications selected through a systematic search across major academic databases and doctoral thesis repositories. Findings show a significant shift in research directions: studies traditionally tied to heroism and nationalism have given way to gender as the primary area of inquiry, followed by race and an increasing focus on intersectional approaches.
The research also captures the ongoing transformation within the media landscape. While film remains the most researched format, with 134 works, interest in sports documentaries and series associated with streaming platforms is rising steadily. Productions like Ted Lasso, The Last Dance, or Drive to Survive rank among the works receiving the most critical attention. The paper also underlines the serialization of sports documentaries as a prevailing platform trend.
Despite this expansion, health and audience reception remain under-researched areas: only eight publications explore health-related aspects, and just two concentrate on audiences. These gaps represent key working priorities for Sports Politics, a 2024 Generation of Knowledge project exploring sports media in its relationship with social values, health, and gender inequalities.