Lucha Libre is Mexico’s term for professional wrestling. The system of this sport is ingrained in the political and social aspects of Mexican society. Mexican professional wrestling reveals the relationship between performance, practice of sports and national identity because of the spectacle of the sport, through the presence of Lucha Libre in mass media particularly on television, the incarnation of characters the wrestlers portray, and the secrecy of fixed matches.
The presence of mass media and professional wrestling did not mix well in the world of television. Between the years 1954 and 1991 Lucha Libre was not televised unlike the US and Japan (178). During this time Lucha Libre had to rely on newspapers to report on fights. Few newspapers…show more content… In 1948 Lucha Libre was broadcasted on television for the first time. Professional boxing became the first sport broadcasted on television in Mexico. When broadcasted it was to bring in a broader audience it also brought new reception to the sport (180). Many people remember watching Lucha Libre on television with groups of people even though they had their own television set for themselves (183). This new media created a way for more people to see the sport and understand it. Soon people began to see that many of these wrestlers were portraying characters when they…show more content… Many of the characters are based off of kinship lines. To many wrestlers seem to have formed a family with responsibilities, they do this but they also have created a highly competitive sport (80). Since Lucha Libre has been on television the presence of this competitive nature in the sport. These characters became the symbol for Lucha Libre even for the country of Mexico. Many of these wrestlers think of themselves as athletes and these characters embody what any athlete does is to represent themselves and their sport. Many of the characters create a story with others to have fixed matches.
The training of fixed matches in Lucha Libre is common, and the secrecy plays into the belief that it is not. Levi explains that the secrecy goes so much as to some people know certain things but not all. Some, people were reluctant to share info with her for the research. Many Mexican sports journalists did share with Levi their stories of Lucha Libre. Reporters were able to know how the fight was planned. These secrets also were only for gym