The Power of Sports: Nationalism

Welcome Back! In this segment, I would like to discuss the political aspect of sports, especially in a time like today where professional sports teams in various countries are prevalent. As a result, nationalism is deeply embedded in the world of sports. It reflects how sports are not isolated from the societies and governments that they are played in and under. Before we break down the role of nationalism in sports, it is important to understand what nationalism is. Nationalism is the advocacy for one's nation and the desire to see it exclusively support national interests.

There are two forms of nationalism: hard and soft nationalism. Soft nationalism is characterized by an appreciation of one's own country but also an acknowledgment that other countries are valid. One example of this is FC Barcelona, which is a source of pride for many Barcelonians. Hard nationalism is the belief that one's country is superior to all others and that all other countries are lesser. This was illustrated throughout the Croatian-Serbian War where each team fiercely rooted for their countries soccer team to beat the other. Rooting for one countries team was seen as supporting that countries superiority. As a result, this sporting match had intense political undertones.

The modern-day Olympics were started by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French aristocrat, who founded the International Olympic committee in 1894. He envisioned an event that promoted competition between countries and served to unite people, both on a national scale but also a global one. The Olympics served as an easy way to promote nationalism that the international divides were apparent.

Sports have routinely been used as a medium to promote nationalism in hopes of unifying a nation around a common interest. For example, during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Hitler used the display to demonstrate the superiority of the 'Aryan' race. While they were unsuccessful in this purpose, the venues for the events aimed to demonstrate the greatness of Germany under Hitler. During this dark period, where prejudices and violence were rampant, the sports documentary was born. Leni Riefenstahl, a female film director, recorded the Olympics and produced a propaganda series that aimed to show German superiority.

The Olympics have continued to be a source of nationalism and propaganda for the hosting country. In the 1980s the Olympics were hosted in both Moscow and Los Angles. These two Olympics held major importance as they occurred during the cold war. Both the USA and Russia fought to show the strength, vitality, and superiority of their athletes. In 2008, The Shanghai Olympics in China attempted to highlight the greatness of China. During this time, however, China silenced many people who spoke out against injustices occurring in China.

Politics and Sports are heavily intertwined, especially in terms of nationalism. It is important to recognize the history of nationalism in sports and how sports can be used to spread propaganda and political ideologies. While this might seem like a negative point, it highlights the immense power that sports hold.

Works Cited

Starn, Orin. "Nationalism and Sports." Sports and Society, 15 Jul. 2020, Duke University, https://www.coursera.org/learn/sports-society.