Media and Amputee Football. Disability Sport Through the Lens of Mediatization

Abstract

The article presents partial findings from a research project based on in-depth individual interviews conducted with male and female players, focusing on the status of amputee football as a sports discipline. The author introduces Allen Guttmann’s concept of sportification, along with its extensions proposed by other scholars, which served as the theoretical framework for the study, and provides key information about this particular sport. The subsequent section of the article discusses the research findings related to the aspect of mediatization. The sporting achievements of amputee football players are more visible in the media compared to other sports practiced by people with disabilities, due to the specific status that this discipline has attained. This is largely the result of effective promotional strategies implemented by the Polish Amputee Football Association and the growing influence of social media.