From sports journalism to infotainment: the case of the contract between Neymar Jr. and Globo as a paradigm

Abstract

This paper is based on the theoretical development of a Political Economy of Communication focused on journalism studies to analyze the changes in sports media coverage. The object is the changes in sports journalism of Grupo Globo, from the structural issues of the sector in the conglomerate to the contract with Neymar Júnior, in force in 2014 and 2015. Given the need for a non-scientific secondary source on the observable, in addition to the theoretical review, we used the documentary research method to rescue journalistic articles that deal with changes in the communication group and the contract with the football player. Thus, it is told what happened, enabling the analysis from the chosen theoretical framework. The analyzed fact represents the culmination of the transition from traditional journalism to infotainment in sports coverage, motivated by issues related to the restructuring of the capitalist system.