Sports and politics have always been intertwined. The World Cup and the Olympics are modern examples of this.
In 1990, West Germany clenched the World Cup. The Berlin wall had been freshly torn down and tensions between East and West Germany were at an all-time high. After the victory, East and West Germany joined in celebration which eased the merge of the two halves. The victory at the World Cup helped to unify a divided country.
Having been held in Beijing, the 2008 Olympics provoked controversy regarding its repressive government. Activists believed that China would use the Olympic games to boost their propaganda. Like the World Cup, the Olympics are influenced by politics and politics are influenced by the Olympics.
On a national level, we can observe sports bring together a variety of
individuals from ranging ideologies. Although many sports fans reject
politics in their conversations, sports and politics intersect in American politics.
Below is a graph (found here) displaying professional sports preferences based on party identification. Although the sports a citizen watches is not dependent on party, party identification correlates with preferred sports.
"Sport is a powerful and important political force." In today's politics, sports play two main roles. First, attending sports games draws media attention and reminds the public of a politician's existence. Second, sports can positively enforce a candidate's image. By attending a sporting event, a politician can begin to form a structured image as a figure an average American can relate to.
All in all, sports play a larger role in politics than we realize. The thrill of competition can definitely influence politics.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
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