Dr. Hab., Professor L.I. Lubysheva
The Russian University of Sport «GTSOLIFK», Moscow

Objective of the study is to uncover the significance of the social functions of sports culture and their implementation in sports communities using the VKontakte social network as an example.
Methods and structure of the study. The research method used was a content analysis of the information content of VKontakte (VK) social network communities. The following groups were selected as communities: «Sport Without Borders», «Moscow Sport», «Sport Around», «Vital Sport / Live Broadcasts of the Premier League», «Sport Insider», «I'm Sporty», «Sport at Home», «Bodybuilding», «Committee for Physical Culture and Sports of St. Petersburg», «Sport – a Healthy Lifestyle», the UNIQA Center for Physical Culture and Sports, and SPORTEX.
Results and conclusions.It has been determined that sports culture is a multidimensional sociocultural phenomenon that integrates sports into public life and imbues it with significant social meaning. It acts as a bridge between sports activity and society, through its social functions in shaping a system of values, knowledge, and practices that influence individuals and social groups. As content analysis of the VKontakte network shows, the implementation of the social functions of sports culture in the digital environment translates into concrete social effects.

Keywords: culture, sports, function, value-semantic content, broadcasting, social effects.

References

1. Lubysheva, L.I. Sports culture in the context of the category «National cultural code in sports» // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kultury. 2025. No. 6. P. 107.