The Team, The Team, The Team

Recently, in my English 125 class, we read a piece by the American writer Louis Menand. In it, Menand wrote, "Leagues and tournaments draw larger audiences to a sport, as athletes and teams start to be imagined as representing cities and, on a bigger stage, nations." This immediately got me thinking; how much do sports and teams actually represent nations? Why do the economic superpowers of our world dominate the international sports scene? Given that this is a course focused around political theory, I figured this would a be an interesting topic to touch upon. In fact, I do believe that sports, teams, and athletes have a major impact on not just representation of nations and politics, but human nature as well. Maybe more so than anyone ever thought.

Sports have always been an outlet for people to express their innate competitiveness, and ancient cultures even used sport as a means of war.

Not your typical 'Lax Bros'
http://www.personal.psu.edu/mab5448/lacrosse.jpg

 Society does not allow us to openly impress our aggression on others without consequences, so sports have been the ideal alternative. This medium allows us to openly express our deepest roots of human nature: dominance over others. Winning and success is what drives all of us, and if anyone says they believe otherwise, they're, well, wrong. Thus, sports is the epitome of human nature. It allows people to pursue success and happiness. The same can be said for the fans of sports; those individuals who spend countless hours yelling at their television screens when their favorite team's quarterback (say, oh I don't know, maybe Eli Manning?) overthrows a receiver time and time again. I am one of those frustrated fans, but before I go on a rant about my team (cough cough the New York Giants cough cough), I'll stop myself. However, there is a method to my madness. Why do we loyal fans have such heartbreak when our team loses? I mean, c'mon, we aren't the ones playing. The answer is acceptance. As human beings, it is in our nature to find acceptance with others, and in this specific case, a sports team. We humans love devoting ourselves to a higher cause, something bigger than ourselves, and sports is a terrific outlet for that. Still, this human nature of devotion and conformity to a team can lead to deadly consequences.

Take the Hillsborough Disaster for example. In the British Premier League, the highest level of English soccer, Liverpool was playing Nottingham Forest in the 1989 FA Cup final. Liverpool is one the most supported teams in all of sports, and thus, the game at Hillsborough Stadium was overcrowded with fans. During the game, the supporters of both teams became rowdy, and even violent with devotion. The influx of more people caused part of the stadium to collapse, leading to 96 deaths, and 766 other injuries. It now remains as the most deadly stadium accident in all of British history. What does this tell us? That sometimes unwavering devotion to a team can lead to tragedies. The same can be said for nations and politics. A leader who becomes obsessed with his country and its sole success will turn into a power hungry monster, only looking to spread his own sphere of influence (does Hitler ring a bell?).

Maybe that's an extreme example, but regardless, certain sporting events over the course of modern history have lead to major political and social changes. Some of the greatest such moments have occurred during a special event every four years that leaves us teeming with pride, and forces us all to come together: the Olympics.

Of course we all know about the "Miracle on Ice" in the 1980 Winter Olympics, and how a bunch of scrappy American college kids beat the superstar Soviets. In the wake of the Cold War, this went far beyond the game of hockey. 

"Do you believe in miracles? YES!" -Al Michaels
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bd/Sports_Illustrated_Miracle_on_Ice_cover.jpg/220px-Sports_Illustrated_Miracle_on_Ice_cover.jpg

But still, I'm talking about events that reshaped the way we look at politics and society today.

For instance, take the 1936 Summer Olympics, hosted in Berlin, Germany. During this time, Hitler was mounting his rise to power through the use of propaganda. Such tactics included undermining all races of color, while placing the Aryan race above all others. To Hitler, the Olympics provided an opportunity to profess the "superiority" of the Nazis and his ideal race. Yet, Hitler hit a bit of a speed bump, to say the least. Queue Jesse Owens. The African-American won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4x100 relay. By being the most successful athlete at the 1936 Games, Owens not only disproved Hitler (talk about a slap to the face), but he single-handedly brought light to the idea that, "Hey, maybe whites are not superior." Unfortunately, this lead to Hitler increasing his efforts to eradicate all non-Aryans, highlighting the impact sports can have on a nation.

Another example of how political endeavors are started by sport events was the conflict between Israel and Palestine that arose due to the 1972 Munich Olympics. During the Games, Palestinian terrorists, known as Black September, tragically captured and killed 11 Israeli athletes. This lead to an uproar in the national community, especially Israel, who sent special forces to kill Palestinian officials and terrorists. The tragedy not only strained Israel-Palestinian relations even further, but also lead to the creation of a number of European counter-terrorism groups, such as GSG9 and GIGN.

Social reforms are no stranger to the Olympics either. During the 1968 Summer Games, in the midst of the African-American Civil Rights Movement, African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos won the gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the 200 meter dash. Upon receiving their medals on the podium, the two bowed their heads while raising their fists in the air, as the "Star-Spangled Banner" played in the background. Smith and Carlos were representing the Black Power movement, and this caused a great amount of distress in the US. Today, however this action is remembered as one of the key moments in the Civil Rights Movement, as it politicized the Olympics, and will remain so forever.

Tommie Smith (center), and John Carlos (right)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c8/Carlos-Smith.jpg/220px-Carlos-Smith.jpg

As you can see, in America, sports have been an invaluable tool for building racial and social reforms. Whether one looks at events like Jackie Robinson signing a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, or the 1991 US Women's team winning the Women's World Cup, sports have proved to be a bridge for equality. Yet, even in other countries, sports have followed a similar path. Look at South Africa. Under the apartheid for years, South Africa was split between the majority blacks and the whites, who controlled the country. However, as the apartheid was ended, the 1995 Rugby World Cup symbolized the new change in the country; segregation would no longer be tolerated. All men were equal, and a new era had arrived. This was symbolized perfectly when the black president, Nelson Mandela, awarded the trophy to Francois Pinear, the white team captain. This was portrayed beautifully in the movie "Invictus," which I encourage all of you to watch:

Just as sports can end conflicts, it can just as easily start them...even wars. La Guerra de Futbol, also known as "The Soccer War," took place in 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras. The two countries were pitted against each other in a qualifying match for the 1970 FIFA World Cup. El Salvador defeated Honduras 3-2, but due to the high tensions between the nations, an all-out war erupted. Why did a soccer match cause this? Well, at the time, Hondurans had an overall resentment towards migrant El Salvadorians who were "stealing" the Hondurans' jobs. The loss was the last straw. After four blood-filled days, 1000 people had been killed, and thousands more injured. 

At this point, one can clearly see the overlap between sports and politics. But sports can impact us in religion as well. Even in a seemingly peaceful aspect of life that has nothing to do with athletic competition, there is still no escape. Sports has had a stronghold in representing religion for years, and can be given credit for starting the oldest rivalry in sports: Celtic vs. Rangers. The battle between the two Scottish teams, a battle between Protestants and Catholics, still rages on today, and has a significant impact on Scottish governmental policy in regards to the two factions.

So why do we not recognize sports as a valid political medium? Time and time again, we see examples of how sports can represent nations as a whole, and that they severely impact sociopolitical factors as well. Sports are more than just "games," and teams are more than just "athletes." Those teams represent something more than words can describe. Next time you watch your favorite NFL team play, ask yourself why you care so much. Next time you watch the Olympics or the World Cup, ask yourself why it really matters. You may very well be watching an event that rewrites the course of history.

In closing, watch this video....

...and ask yourself what those people are actually cheering for, and why it feels so damn good to be an American.