The Handbook of Sports and Media edited by Raney and Bryant tells us that globalization is “the flow of leisure styles, customs, and practices from one part of the world to another” and that the Olympics is the biggest forum of globalization. In light of this information I found this article by Emma Wensing from the Yale Global:
http://www.globalpolicy.org/globaliz/cultural/2004/olympics0810.htm
After reading this article, I realized that there were outside forces which made the Olympics a platform for globalization: the media and politics, which go hand in hand. With the technology of our era, the reporting has not only become of the athletes and the Games, but also about the hosting country, their political agenda, and their overall culture.
Since the first airing of the Olympics in 1964, the Olympic Games have transformed from an exhibition of the beauty of athletics to a globalization of athletic dominance. As Wensing’s article states, each country portrays their Olympians differently through the media. Some countries, such as Australia and the United States focus more on their international rivals and the wins throughout the Games. Smaller, or less athletic, countries like New Zealand focus on the core aspects of the game: how the game is played, how the athletes trained and what can make the athletes better.
Wensing’s article also suggests that the Olympics are like a war: “Sporting events are one of the few public spheres where nations compete against each other without causing harm…The country that wins, or receives the most number of medals, is simply superior.” The war is not only for the media and glory’s sake, but also as fuel for political practices.
This summer is an example of the added pressure of politics. The 2008 summer games are stationed in Beijing, China. A communist country, China has a strict regimen and is constantly protested against and scrutinized for their government’s choices in area such as Darfur and Tibet. But the fact of the matter is that the Olympic Games were not intended to be a forum for international debates. The country is simply the location of the games, a hopeful spot for tourism but never the less a gaming arena.
Does your “Team America” spirit come out during the Olympics season? Which country do you think will win the “war”? Do you feel that America is a superior country in the athletic world? Do you believe that the setting of China takes away from the games? Do you feel that the Olympic Games have been corrupted by the media and politics?
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In response to Danielle’s post, I do find myself having a strong allegiance to the US Olympians during the Olympic season for the obvious reason that I am also from the US. I don’t feel as if the Olympic Games are like the NFL where you may live in New York but be an Indianapolis Colts fan, because most Americans are going to root for their own country. Very few people in the US keep up with global sports and their teams (until the World Cup comes around). I think most Americans would react the same way. You see these random spurts of nationalization every once in a while. Unfortunately, it took the tragic events of 9/11 to bring our country together; the Olympics provide a similar reaction.
I don’t believe we as Americans should be considered superior in the athletic world. The US does provide the sporting world with many different options but so do other countries. As Americans, we automatically have a bias towards our own products so most people feel that because we are one of the only countries to play football that we are far more advanced than other countries. Many European countries play the same sports as Americans and some with slight variations. These countries have the ability to provide stellar athletes just as much as America does. America may be perceived as superior because of how heavily we weigh sports and how important they are to our general way of life.
I believe the host country/site of the Olympic Games will always cause some conflict somewhere in the world. Not every country gets along, obviously, so conflict is inevitable. This summer, the games will be in China, and for Americans this is a problem because we do not agree with what that country has done. Unfortunately, there are some countries that may agree with what they are doing and have no problem that the games are going to be hosted there. If the games ended up being in the US this summer, there would be just as much conflict in other countries as we are experiencing now.
I am a firm believer in the idea that the media and politics have corrupted the Olympic Games. In this day and age there are so many opportunities for new technology and sponsorships that it is easy to forget that these people are actually competing. Chapter 26 in the Handbook discusses how the sports-wear industry has become a key issue in globalization. It discusses that although Nike, a well known brand globally, is based out of Oregon in the US, there are suppliers and production companies worldwide. Nike uses the media by endorsing athletes and sporting events to help boost sales in that market. For example, if Nike were a sponsor of the track and field events, you would see sales of track spikes and flats sky rocket. The 4x400 American team may be wearing the same flats as the Nigerian team; something that is seen to bring countries together, a common interest. Little do the people at home know that these athletes are getting paid to wear their garb.
I have never been a huge fan of the Olympics and I really don’t see that changing. I’ll watch some of the sports that interest me but I really don’t care who wins the gold or not. I don’t all a sudden become a huge team America fan either. I’ll root for them of course but If I am going to actually sit down and watch some of the sports I’d rather just root for the best athlete. If America didn’t win any medals at all I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. There are certainly some countries that I will root against but the Olympics just doesn’t interest me enough to get really involved. The reason I don’t follow the Olympics as closely as others is because I don’t enjoy the sports that are played. Our handbook talks about how sports that were once popular in western culture are now popular here thus the allure of the Olympics, “those sports which initially appeared in the west do appear to have some universal value and significance while acquiring local and particular meanings.” I don’t feel this way however.
I used to feel that America was more superior in almost every sport except hockey but previous Olympic games have proven this is not so. In sports that are considered to be very American, such as baseball and basket ball, the other nations of the world are catching up in talent. I understand that all the controversy surrounding China does take away from the games themselves but I also feel that every time we have the Olympics the country that hosts it is always going through some kind of controversy so it doesn’t bother me as much. However I do feel that politics has had too much of an influence of the games which was probably inevitable but still unfortunate.
The Olympics are very nation centered and bring a ton of pride to the countries. Do I become a Team America fan? Sure, I don't see how I could not become one. Its a sporting event that brings nationalism to the world which is a good thing in many countries that have problems being united and so forth. The reason why "Team America" is such a platform for the USA is that it unites the country as a whole rather than uniting cities within the USA, like baseball, basketball, football and hockey do.
The issue of the Olympics taking place in China will most definitely cause a little drama as the world is not in a state of peace, there are many countries that do not get along still, for numerous reasons. The US is not in the same boat when it comes to what China has been doing recently but on the other hand, there are countries that do not have a problem with it. That is what makes the world such a diverse and great place to live. You can always find a place or group of people who feel the same way, but this may also cause problems with other groups.
This plays into the media very well because it gives them tons of different directions in which to try and advertise the Olympics. Do they take the side of the US and try and display the wrongdoings of China or do they try and take a neutral side and try to justify certain things that have been done by china?
I have heard this argument before about the Olympics just being a less violent form of war. The games sometimes do not seem to be about the athletes anymore, and about which country they come from. When the olympics come around every other year I do find myself with a case of USA fever. Of course, I have to root for the athletes from the US, just as I root against the athletes from other countries. sometimes I expect our athletes to win the gold everytime, and I'm dissapointed when they do not.
Every Olympics, summer and winter I hope/ expect the US to "win the war". This year its the summer Olympics, and the US tends to fare better during the summer Olympics than the winter, so hopefully we can win. I don't know if I would say that American athletes are superior overall, but there are some events that the US athletes fare better. I think the playing field have been evened in recent years.
Overall, I think that choosing China to host the Olympics was a bad choice. The Olympic committee was just begging for controversy by picking China. That's not what the Olympics are all about, but sometimes it seems thats all they're about. China has more political issues than almost every other country in the world. it does not make sense to choose such a country, because it only takes away from the games. I don't think the games have been completely corrupted, but they are getting there. the world today is all about making money, so it is only natural to turn the Olympics into a huge marketing campaign.
This summer will be interesting; I like the Olympics, so I'm going to watch them. I'm also going to root for the American athletes. I'm sure I will also be brought up to date on a lot of political nonsense that I should be aware of and pay attention too, but this is the Olympics, so I'm only going to focus on the games and athletic achievements themselves.
Personally, I'm a person that loves watching the Olympics. I don't know if it's just because I'm greek and that is where the Olympics started or I just simply love watching the games. I do find myself cheering for the Americans I must say, but I also love watching and cheering for Greece as well. I think that the Olympics absolutley bring people in America together. I can remember growing up actually sitting down with my family in front of the TV and watching them. This year, with all of the contreversy in China, with it being the host country, I believe that this year's games will really unite Americans. I think many people will be more into the games than ever not only in the spirit of the Olympics but also because they'll want to win because of the whole China situation.
With that being said, I think that the setting in China this year actually might take away from the games. In my opinion, it shouldn't because that is not what the Olympics are about. They are a competition of events between different countries with a different host country every time. However with everything that is going on in China, with Darfur and Tibet, many countries are upset with the setting and some even refuse to participate in events such as the opening ceremony. The Olympics is obviously very globalized with all of the national coverage between all of the countries. Chapter 26 of the handbooks says that "People's living conditions, beliefs, knowledge, and actions are intertwined with globalization. Many people may use these things mentioned to be the reason they may or may not watch the Olympics this year. This is a good example of how globalization can affect sports.
I think that it depends on how you look at the Olympics to determine whether it is corrupted by the media and politics. In some aspects yes I guess you can say that it is because of the way it is covered. For example, when America covers the Olympics it's all about how many medals were won and not really about the games themselves. However, when I watch the Olympics, I don't like to let that get in the way of me watching it. True I love to focus on my favorite teams, but I do like watching the other teams as well just because they're playing the sport too. But I believe this year, that politics will have a big role in affecting the games especially with the coverage of it.
I think the main reason why my US Fandom comes out for the Olympics is because I enjoy rooting for people that I've actually heard of before. It's the Michael Phelps' and Apollo Anton Ono's of the world that I enjoy cheering on because I know who they are, a little background on their life story, and, in some cases, they are dominant in that particular sport.
In sports where I might not know as much about the participants, I'm rather impartial unless there is a certain personality that attracts my attention. For instance, I remember cheering on the Swedish Women's Curling team last winter games because I thought two of the women were...very attractive. I knew nothing about the American participants and, quite frankly, the American team stunk.
In something such as the World Cup, it almost always comes down to four teams that are NOT the US. I root for them in their preliminary matches, but when it comes down to elimination, I'll pick a team that has recognizable players, like England, Portugal, or Spain (never France).
As far as superiority is concerned, i think the US has its own particular sports that they excel in, and most of them are not in Olympic competition (such as football and basketball). There are occasionally sports we can dominate such as gymnastics, but I'm impartial to sports that I don't have much interest in.
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