Abstract:
This article aims to discuss the sporting experiences underway in Rio de Janeiro between the years 1851 and 1857. As a starting point of the time frame, it was considered the moment when the first associations of horse racing and rowing were founded the city. The ending point refers to the creation of Petropolitano Jockey Club, the last initiative before there was a period of stagnation in the promotion of sporting events. We tried to address the peculiarities of the involvement of various social groups in the phenomenon. As the practice was closely associated with notions of civilization and progress, we infer that this research can help us better understand the relationship of these different strata with the initiatives of adherence to the ideas and images of modernity in the capital of the country, which could be observed at that period. To fulfill the objective, we used as sources the publications edited in the city, taking into account that the press began to take on the role of public arena and an opinion leader. At the end, we concluded that, in this period, one of the key dilemmas of the shaping of the sports field can be observed, as it had occurred with other entertainment practices: the need to create strategies to attract and involve a larger public, without abandoning the distinction mechanisms.
Keywords:
history of the sport; Second Empire; Rio de Janeiro.