To some, sports are merely games, but to others, sports are a way of life. Sports are able to bring out the best in everyone through competition. Whether it is competing against the opposing team or the stopwatch, sports are forums for athletes to show their true colors. It is the idea of being able to raise your hands up in triumph when you achieve excellence or having the mental strength to cope with a tough loss, sports encompasses all of that.
There is no question that being the athlete that nails the buzzer-beating basket or the one who breaks the world record is the most exciting aspect of sport, but the meaning of sport is much deeper than that. Sports have the unique ability to unite countries, races, and enemies in a way that is truly incomparable. In a Washington Post article entitled, “The Soccer Wars,” the author Daniel Drezner, discussed the soccer match between the British and the Germans on Christmas of 1914. This by any means was not your ordinary soccer match, well, because it took place during the heat of battle in World War I. The two sides had a one day truce because of the holiday, so instead of sitting around planning out the next attack, they decided to organize a friendly soccer match. Sure it was only a temporary solution, but for the duration of that game, it could be argued that neither of the sides were even thinking about bombing one another not one day earlier. It is the idea that for that moment, nothing else matters.
As athletes, we put all of our heart and soul into training with the hope that it will enhance our possibilities of winning, even if it is just by a hair. In the article that we read for class, “Olympic Orchestration: Bud Greenspan’s Re-presentation of Sport” the author Lori Amber Roessner discusses the idea of Olympic athletes and how merely making to the Olympics is the achievement. Roessner states a quote that Bud Greenspan’s said which was, “The most important thing in the Olympic games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well” (Greenspan, 1995, p. 254).” Now, I pose the question, why do athletes compete if winning is not the ultimate achievement? To my knowledge there are no Olympians in class, so what in your lives would classify as “making it,” with not worrying about the final outcome of winning or losing? As an athlete, I hate losing and I cannot stand it. Going into any type of competition I always want to win and that is what I expect from myself, but then again, it might be different at the Olympic level!
Sure sports would not exist if it were not for the athletes that perform, however, when there is full support from the fans, it definitely affects the athletes play in a positive way. We all love it when we are on the playing field, and we look up and see a packed stadium cheering us on. Roessner discussed the viewership of the Olympics and the numbers are simply astonishing, remarkable really. Daniel Drezner discussed the civil war that was going on in Africa during a prior World Cup, and how it seemed as though a settlement was not in the near future. The President of the Ivory Coast said, “Because, as everyone knows, a country united makes for better cheerleaders than a country divided." The 2006 World Cup was the first time the Ivory Coast qualified for the World Cup, so the President felt as though the team needed full support if they were going to perform at the highest level. The idea of having supporters or cheerleaders is crucial for motivating and pushing the athletes to greater heights. Lincoln Allison discussed in Handbook the notion of the formation of a countries identity through sport. Allison said, “Thus there can be a collective sense of national humiliation when a national team is defeated; the event is taken reflect on the state of the nation as a whole…” (Handbook 345). Similar to the 9/11 video we watched in class, and how the Yankees were New York’s “savior.” Do you think it is right that Sports above all else, should have the ability to shape a countries identity? What are potential reasons for the idea of sports shaping or creating one’s indentity?
Sports are much more than just a game or a luxury activity, the affects of sport on all of society in general are massive. The fact that something so simple such as a swimming race or a soccer game has the ability to cease a war and unite a country is truly unthinkable. The idea of sport as a universal language that all races, genders, and beliefs are able to understand without any misunderstandings is something that I believe nothing else in this world has the ability to do.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/02/AR2006060201401.html
The first thing that came to mind when reading this post was the video we watched in class about September 11th and New York sports. This video showed that sports are so much more than just a game and they can help unite people from all walks of life. It is a way for people to forget about the problems in their life and enjoy a game they love. The athletes are able to let other live through them or feel as though they are a part of the team. We have talked a lot about this in class and I think it is a big reason why sports are so popular in our culture. People love to feel like they are part of something, especially when a team is winning.
ReplyDelete“The Soccer Wars” article shows that sports can help bring people together and is an extraordinary example of the impact sports have on people lives and the wellbeing of the world. We had often discussed in class how far sports go back and that is a testament to their importance. There are not many major activities that go on today that have taken place thousands of years ago. This again shows how import sports are and how they make such a major impact on all of our lives. Our class alone shows that the sporting industry is a major businesses and this is a testament to the athletes, teams and fans.
The “Running Head: Olympic Orchestration” article explains the importance sports (the Olympics in particular) play in our society. “the scholar ‘is apt to forget that sport in some form or other is the main object of most lives, that most men work in order to play, and that games which bulk so largely in the life of the individual cannot be neglected in studying the life of the nation” (“Running Head: Olympic Orchestration” Page 3). This quote explains how most men love sports so much and are a major part of their lives. I think this is the case with many women as well and people should not just think of sports as a game. This week’s article explain how important sports our in our society and what a major impact sport has made.
Upon reading this I thought of how the Yankees had helped the city of New York during the tragic events of 9/11, and also how in New Orleans the Saints acted as a distraction for the people who had just lived through the terrible ordeal of Hurricane Katrina. This is proof that the impact of sports is felt in the worst of times.
ReplyDeleteThere is another side where I think countries take it too far. "Thus there can be a collective sense of national humiliation when a national team is defeated; the event is taken reflect on the nation as a whole" (Handbook, 345). After the 1994 World Cup here in the United States a player from a South American country (blanking on which one) missed a key penalty kick which ended up being the difference on his team advancing. When he returned home...he was murdered. This is an example that some have taken it to identify with their country too far.
Participating in the olympics is an honor that few get to achieve. I agree that just participating in the olympics alone is an achievement that is the most honorable any athlete can set. "Courage...dedication...and the ability to endure" (Greenspan,15). These are the main ideals that olympic athletes possess in order to represent their country, and by doing so they try to showcase their talents while wearing the flag they swear by.
-Nate Porter
From being a in a kiddy league to being in a professional league sports have an impact on an athlete’s life as well as their fans. It helps build character and to help one find him or herself. However the more you put into a sport the more positive aspects you are going to see out of it.
ReplyDeleteFor example in the Roessner article, the author mentions a study from one of Bud Greenspans books, 100 Greatest Moments in Olympic History, where this Olympic athlete truly exemplifies the meaning of giving it your all. His story focuses on an Olympian who finishes last. When host Bill Macatee asks Greenspan about the moment that most encompasses the Olympic spirit, Greenspan tells the story of Tanzanian marathon runner John S. Akwari. With a montage of Akwari entering Olympic stadium at nightfall to the roar of 10,000 remaining spectators, Greenspan’s voice explains that Akwari finished the marathon despite blood trickling down his leg, a badly dislocated knee, and sprained ankle. According to Greenspan, after witnessing the courageous display, he told his crew “today we have seen a young African runner, who exemplifies the best in the Olympic spirit.” When Greenspan later interviewed Akwari, he said, “My country didn’t send me 5,000 miles to start a race but to finish it” (Greenspan, 1996). Time and again in his films, he reiterates that “there are no great people, rather there are great challenges that ordinary people are forced to meet” (Greenspan, 1995, p. 13). Even though Akwari didn’t finish first, that’s not what matter. What mattered was that he finished.
Like I said previously, this is seen throughout sports everywhere. And the sports coverage is being prominently more recognized by the television industry. This provides the people the “popular programming they craved” (Roessner 4). However most of the popular professional athletic events, such as, football, baseball are becoming more western dominated within the world (Handbook 360). We see in our society every day all of these popular sports, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that people, a lot of people, are watching these American professional sports too. There are betting’s that take place all over the world about American sports. This just goes to show us that even if people are athletes that sport has an impact.
You could be completely across the world, but be rooting for the Yankees or whoever to win the World Series. Sports have made themselves much more than just a sport. They are now traditions and some people’s everyday lives. Sporting events are places for people to be with family and friends, or to meet new people who something in common that they both share, the love for the game.
Overall sports have a large impact on society. Whether you’re in a minor league, a professional league, a kiddy league or in no league at all, but a fan, sports impact your life. And it’s not always a positive impact, but you will get the impact out of sports that you make of it. If you give it your all and keep on giving it your all you will find good things in the end through sports, but if you let things slack, things could come up on the wrong side of the table.
So to answer the blogger’s question, yes sports should shape the identity of the country. This is going to happen anyways. If the country itself does not like the sport it will be shown through lack of attendance and lack of media, and vice versa for the liking of a sport. And the reason that sports can shape a country in such a way is what it makes people. Giving them a position as a fan, player, coach, etc. it gives them another role in society. And through popularity things come and go, but since there is so much spirit, competition and drive in sports, they will never fade, but be a strong point of our country’s structure.
To me sports has had a huge impact on my life as well as my friends, basketball in particular. Sports help you have discipline, teach you how to overcome adversity and to a certain extent helped save a lot of people lives by keeping them out of trouble. When you are faced with a problem in the real world you would know how to handle it a lot easier because of sports.
ReplyDeleteIn Roessner article it says "Before an audience of more than 40,000 mostly Greek spectators at Panathinaiko Stadium, 245 male athletes from fourteen countries participated in forty-three events over nine days (Guttmann, 1992)(3). This shows that those who participated were not just playing for them but their country also. Thats kind of how i am, everytime i play, im playing 4 DC.
I hate losing, i know that's a part of sports but i hate it. When you talk about what classifies as "making it" to me, going to college for free is making it, but i still want to win.
If you look at the olympics for example, i did not even like swimming but just because mike phelps was competing for the USA i started watching and cheering for him because in a way he was racing for me. In the handbook it says "the power of the meaning of national identity in sports is something that has always been recognized" (346). Sports mean more than just a game to society and has had a huge impact on a lot of people.
Sports has a huge impact on society, no matter what people say. It has the ability to take over the media, especially in the case of the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteDating back to the early history of the Earth, countries competed through sports. As Lori Ambre Roessner cites in "Olympic Orchestration," nationalism plays a huge role in the Olympics.
According to Houlihan (2005), “nationalism is deeply embedded in the fabric of the Olympic movement…it is the defining narrative of the Games themselves: the opening parade of athletes in national groups…wearing the colours on their kit…and the playing of the national anthems and the raising of national flags at medal ceremonies” (p. 131) (Roessner 20).
These are just a few of the many reasons why nationalism is prominent in the Olympics.
I think the Olympics is great because no matter what American team you are a fan of (Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers), you are going to have pride for your country.
In the course Handbook, Lincoln Allison discussed how much of an impact the Olympics has on a country.
Thus there can be a collective sense of national humiliation when a national team is defeated; the event is taken reflect on the state of the nation as a whole…” (Handbook 345).
If China loses an event they are expected to win, the entire country will be angry. That shows how much of an impact the Olympics can make on a country.