Prensa, deporte y cultura de masas. El papel del periodismo especializado en la expansión social del deporte en Cataluña hasta la guerra civil (1890-1936)

This paper aims to analyze the role of the sports press in the process of institutionalization and expansion of the sporting phenomenon in Catalonia between 1890 and 1936. The study is a result of a comprehensive preliminary analysis of sports journals of the period, both as regards their formal content as from a commercial approach. In short, the paper discusses three key aspects: (a): the important role of the press of late 19th century in the initial spread of sporting culture, (b): the link between the modern sports media and sports leisure industry, and (c): the importance of mass media in popularizing the sport in the decades of 1920 and 1930.