Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the discourse strategy in movies about sports events. ‘Movies’ and ‘Sports’ are two different forms of popular culture, but share some similarities as well. The current study examines the significance and possibilities arising from the combination of these two cultural modes. Korean movies about sports began to be regularly produced starting in 2002, but it wasn't until 2008 that such movies achieved box office success. The movie that broke through was <Forever the Moment>, Uri saengae choego-ui sungan. This film was based on a true story like its other sports-themed predecessors, but its discourse strategy unfolded quite differently. The film focused on a non-mainstream sport and didn't focus on one protagonist-hero depicted biographically from their youth. Instead, there were a multitude of protagonists who added layers of depth to the story with their everyday personal issues. These discourse strategies are the hallmark of media such as the Internet, cable TV and other changing media environments which seek to satisfy the public's psychological curiosity about the personal lives of characters. This provides a sort of comfort for modern viewers who may feel anxiety about the everyday prospect of not being able to fit into the mainstream. After the success of <Forever the Moment>, subsequent sports-themed movies such as <Lifting King Kong> and <Jump> followed this formula to great effect, achieving box office success as well. Furthermore, unlike previous formulaic sports movies in which the protagonist invariably overcame personal challenges to rise in the world through the medium of sports, meaningful changes in discourse style expanded the role of sports movies so that they could engage viewers through conveying unalloyed athletic spirit.