Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/77574

The Japanese term for “asuriito (athlete)” in its function to represent so-called ‘sports entities’ is often used in various media contexts. However, the actual concept represented by the expression “asuriito” is not defined. Thus, purpose of this paper is to clarify how ‘sports entities’ are constructed through the “asuriito” discourse in newspapers. This study analyses the “asuriito” discourse in sports reports in the Yomiuri and Asahi newspapers over 20 years, from 1990 to 2009. As a result, the analysis shows that new sports entities are organized through the term “asuriito”. These ‘sports entities’ include connections to the Olympics player and people with physical disabilities. In comparison, the term “senshu (player)” does not refer to ‘sports entities’ in the same context as athlete does.