Sporto herojaus funkcija JAV lietuvių visuomenėje : Jack Sharkey-Žukausko atvejis 1926-1936 m.
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Boksas; Etninės grupės; JAV; JAV lietuviai; Jack Shaekey-Žukauskas; Lietuvių išeivija; Socialinis kapitalas; Sportas; Sporto istorija; Tapatybės konstravimas; Boxing; Ethnic groups; Identity construction; Jack Sharkey; Lithuanian diaspora; Social capital; Sport's history; Sports; USA; USA Lithuanians.
ENOn the basis of historiography and articles in Lithuanian-American periodicals from 1926 to 1936 we attempt to explain what social function Jack Sharkey’s achievements served, how this sports hero’s portrait was constructed and exploited, and how this affected the daily life and leisure time activities of U. S. Lithuanians. Jack Sharkey-Žukauskas became a factor in drawing Lithuanians together: his Lithuanian fans went to see his fights in organized groups; gathered around radio receivers to catch broadcasts of the matches; and held banquets in his honor. These events displayed various elements of formal and informal communication that allowed overcoming inner Lithuanian community barriers and contributed to uniting it. Some Lithuanian ideological groups attempted to use his achievements as a means of social engineering by portraying him as personifying the views and ideals of a certain ideology to be recommended as an example for young people to follow. The Socialists opposed this while the Communists took a dim view of professional sports altogether. The fights of this boxer stimulated a desire to gamble. Various descriptions of betting in the press tend to show that it wasn’t the possibility of getting richer that motivated most Lithuanian bettors: they simply were happy to have found a hero they could trust and who could give them a feeling of being temporarily in control of the situation in an uncertain world. It was probably due to the history of Lithuanian- Irish relations in the U. S. that fights with boxers of Irish descent were matters of principle attended by constant mistrust of Irish designs and influences in the boxing bureaucracy, incessant gambling, disputes, and conflicts, often ending with brawls in taverns. [From the publication]
