In many European countries and the US, research about Jewish athletes and Jewish sports has become an established field within (sports)history. In Great Britain and especially England – the so often proclaimed “motherland” of modern sports – the topic remains largely neglected. This gap in research can be attributed to the widespread misconception that historically Jews showed no interest in sport, as well as to the still prevalent antisemitism in Great Britain. Because of this existing and growing challenge, with reports of antisemitic incidents increasing and also expanding within sports, it is important to study the historical origins and alterations of a societal problem that has outlasted. The topic allows insights into contemporary societal perceptions and depictions, Jewish/non-Jewish relationships, how social influences affected their development and, by means of the selected method, can provide conclusions that go far beyond the realm of sport.

The topic will be studied based on newspaper sources. Firstly, because Jewish/Non-Jewish relations are mediated and influenced through media depictions, as is sport. Secondly, England has a history of both perceiving and instrumentalizing sport as something particularly British. Sport has been utilized to convey national identity, achieve inclusion and construct otherness – it serves as an element of identity formation. This becomes observable in coverage within the contemporary press, which serves both as an intermediary and a source of influence.

To analyse the press discourse, the Discourse Historical Approach, introduced by Ruth Wodak and her colleagues of the Vienna School as part of their methodology on critical discourse studies, will be employed as the main method. This specific approach is based on the premise that discourses in their various forms are social practices that are influenced by – but also influence – the social ‘reality’. The approach, therefore, corresponds with the hypotheses of the proposed project and, further, enables conclusions that exceed beyond a mere analysis of the selected newspaper sources. Based on a digitized corpus of sources, a supplementary quantitative analysis of the articles will be undertaken as part of the project to augment the qualitative with quantifiable conclusions and attain a multi-perspective discourse analysis.
 

Picture credits: The British Team during the Maccabiah Games, Jewish Museum Berlin, Inv.-Nr. 2014/11, Donation from Hazel Shore