Max Weatherly

Buchanan
HHP 360
Chapter 13 Review
Sports & Politics
Government and global political processes influence sports heavily as well as
vice versa. They dictate whether a nation is united or divided, has the proper
funding when putting out a national team or not, etc. Corrupt governments do not
facilitate good sports teams; they do not allocate enough spending to create a
successful team. This negatively impacts a nations morale, or just certain
communities that support these organizations. Sports also has a relieving
component when politics and what is occurring in a global spectrum become too
much. For example, Jessie Owens at the games in Berlin where he pushed the color
and minority issue with the symbol for Black Power. President Bush throwing the
first pitch at Mets stadium following September 11 th. Politics and sports go hand in
hand. Sports can help ease the stressors of politics in our daily lives. Politics has a
reverse connection with sports as well. It helps safeguard the public order, ensure
fairness and protect human rights, maintain health standards and fitness amongst
citizens. Politics has rules and regulations they must implement in order to
maintain that sense of competition and equality among all participants who play the
sport. This helps develop a guideline or set a certain standard for competitors that
wish to participate which then in turn creates those different levels of competition.
Politics help promote prestige and power of a nation. Shows their authority to
the rest of world by being dominant in most everything. The Olympics is a great
test for each nation and how well they perform. If a tea is dominant in most of the
activities they participate in, then that is a sure sign of them doing something right.

To have a prestige about oneself in athletics is highly regarded and highly valued. If
you are able to spend a lot of money and designate training and spending
specifically for sports, then youre fairly well off and not 3 rd world.
The teams that do not rank well, tend to not have the same government
structure if any, are sometimes very poor, and do not have the proper training
facilities. This would be like Emory & Henry versus Alabama in college football. The
two just dont compare and the prestige and power is vastly different. If you are
able to make a presence and intimidate then your virtually way to victory.
Politics use sports to reproduce values and introduce/encourage political
ideology. Such as Hitlers Olympics and the Nazi march and salute that was heavily
present in virtually every activity. Promoting a Nazi Germany to get the people
backing his political ideals to help jumpstart the war. Sports is highly regarded and
athletes are depicted as superhumans if not godly. But while politics like to help
push their agenda when they can during events, sports can help back a political
figures standing. For example, the annual trips to the White House for
championship teams is an honor that helps boost the image of the person in office.
This is to show that not only is the nation supportive of sports but it shows the
leader of our nation, the President, as a human too, supporter of athletics. This is a
big deal. When Obama came into office, the thing that was mentioned and reported
on was the fact that he loved to play basketball. Sports gains the attention of a lot
more people than politics do, any chance that people in politics can help improve an
image, push their agenda, or come out to an event is big news.