Images of the Sporting “Civilizing Mission”: The Far Eastern Championship Games (1913–1934) and Visions of Modernization in English-Language Philippine Newspapers*

This article focuses on media coverage of the sporting “civilizing mission” that the American YMCA initiated in the Philippines, Japan, and China through the founding of the Far Eastern Championship Games (1913–1934), the biggest regional sports event held during the interwar period. It analyzes a number of cartoons printed in Philippine English-language newspapers, which communicated visions of a “modern” Asia meeting Western civilization. Cartoons dealing with the Asian capability for self-government in sports show that between the 1910s and 1930s images of Asian bodily and social deficits and of American expertise were substituted with images showing Asian officials appropriating the “civilizing mission.” The analysis of cartoons about internationalism and egalitarianism illustrates that in 1934 all newspapers saw these ideals as part of “civilization” and rejected Japanese expansionism. Cartoons featuring gender roles reflect the fact that female athletes were still a marginal topic for cartoonists. Finally, the depiction of stadiums promoted development successes.