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Society. Document. Communication

Article

Historical evolution of the media representation of kickboxing in sports periodicals (1990-2024)

Olga Pavlenko
Retrieved from Volume 11, No. 1, 2026 Pages 61–73
Received
14.09.2025
Revised
03.01.2026
Accepted
29.01.2026
Published
09.04.2026
Views
330

Abstract

The research relevance is determined by the need to understand how the historical evolution of sports periodicals influenced the perception of martial arts in different periods of martial arts in the digital age, the growth of global mobility and cultural hybridisation. The study aimed to analyse the peculiarities of kickboxing representation in Ukrainian and international sports periodicals, incorporating the historical and cultural context and the transformation of the media image of this sport. The research addressed sports journalism as a source of socio-cultural information that traced the evolution of public perception of martial arts in the media space. A set of methods was used: historical and cultural analysis, source studies, content analysis of media texts, critical discourse analysis, and linguistic and stylistic reading of texts. The materials were based on eight publications in sports periodicals in Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom and international platforms published from 1997 to 2024. All texts were analysed by format, genre, style, audience and content focus. The study determined that Ukrainian sports periodicals focused mainly on institutional and applied aspects of kickboxing functioning – the activities of sections, the role of coaches, organisational conditions and the achievements of athletes. The international media, on the other hand, demonstrated a personalised and narrative approach, emphasising stories of personal transformation, social context and cultural symbolism. The study determined that the media image of kickboxing in the global discourse was shifting from a technical discipline to a means of self-expression, representation of identity and an element of pop culture. The study also noted a tendency towards genre hybridisation, in which traditional forms of sports journalism were combined with elements of cultural storytelling, entertainment content and symbolic interpretation, which led to the complication of the information code of martial arts in the media space. The practical significance of the results is determined by an outline of the mechanisms of influence of sports journalism on the formation of ideas about martial arts, which can be used in the training of specialists in sports communication, media education and cultural analysis

Keywords

analytical articles; popularisation; reportage; interviews; sports clubs; federations

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Suggested citation

Pavlenko, O. (2026). Historical evolution of the media representation of kickboxing in sports periodicals (1990-2024). Society. Document. Communication, 11(1), 61-73. https://doi.org/10.69587/sdc/1.2026.61