Military Invasion, Private Promotion and Sport in Nicaragua (1925-1936)

Abstract

This article attempts to answer the following questions: What role did sport play in the sociability of Nicaraguan social groups from 1925 to 1936? And what was the degree of modernization of Nicaraguan sport during the period? The information required to answer these questions was obtained from the newspapers El 2 de mayo, El Eco de Managua, El Correo, Excelsior, La Nueva Prensa, La Prensa and La Tribuna, and the magazine La Noticia Ilustrada. These sources are fragmented, so historical reconstruction was carried out to the extent they allowed. Data were extracted regarding outstanding athletes, sports clubs, sports practice spaces, poems dedicated to athletes and female participation. The center of sporting activity revolved around the railroad, which linked the main cities of the Nicaraguan Pacific and the country. These cities concentrated the capital of the coffee activity that allowed the practice of sport, in addition, they had the best spaces and infrastructure and communication routes for the execution of that activity. The military intervention of the United States meant that all aspects of the Nicaraguan economy were managed by that power. This situation influenced state investment in sports to be zero, so the degree of modernization of sport was embryonic.