How Do Sports Unify or Divide on a Global Scale?

AP Seminar

2021

Word Count: 2,018

How Do Sports Unify or Divide on a Global Scale? 1

Throughout history, sports have played an important role globally, and can often be tied

to deeper political and socio economic issues within the world. Competitiveness within sports

has been increasing as well, which can affect smaller and developing nations that will do

everything in their power to prove their worth by assembling a worthy sports team. Examining

the link between international sport and nationalism is crucial to this issue. Sport is often the

main cause of flag waving and the playing of national anthems, especially in the modern world.

Although the extreme nationalist sentiments shown by fans during such events is usually taken

lightly, it can be transformed into a serious political debate. Many nations throughout the world

are denied representation in international sport competitions, similar to how they are often denied

global political power. Stronger nationalism and representation within sports often translates to

the modern political climate. This was highlighted by George Orwell in “The Sporting Spirit,”

where he states that many sports lead back to hatred and jealousy, and he often referred to it as

war without violence. (Orwell) This leads to the question, Do Sports Unify or Divide on a global

scale? Looking at this issue through many different lenses can show conflicting information on

whether sports can be used to diminish ill-will throughout neighboring countries. Specifically,

major global sporting events can reveal a lot of information regarding how sports are treated at a

competitive level.

Conflicts Within Global Sports Historically

By looking at global sports through a historical lens, we can see ways in which games

have been used to resolve serious political conflicts between nations. Although the concept of

sport has been around for very long, relatively recent historical events can set the framework for

how sports can be a way of unifying people in a world that is often divided, whether it be

nationally or globally. The Olympic Games are a good example of how sports have reduced
How Do Sports Unify or Divide on a Global Scale? 2

conflict between nations. The creation of these games dates all the way back to Ancient Greece,

where Iphitos, the king of Elis proposed a sporting competition to end conflict, and this tradition

has carried on today in modern times. Advocates of peace such as Nelson Mandela also

acknowledged the unifying power of sports, especially in the divided climate of South Africa and

issues regarding apartheid during the time he was president, saying that “sport has the power to

change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little

else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once

there was only despair.”

Similarly, North and South Yemen had been very hostile towards each other politically in

the 1970s and 1980s, with North Yemen having a capitalist economy and South Yemen operating

under a socialist economy instead. They merged in the 1990s, and many believe that sports was a

main contributor to ending their hostility. Although it seems unlikely for such economic and

political divides to be resolved with merely sports, this framework hasn’t solely been used in

Yemen either. It was proposed for North Korea and South Korea to send a combined “Korea”

team to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and both countries often played soccer games across the

border. Although many believe that sports can create a metaphorical war between nations,

historical evidence shows that it has also led to the bonding of said nations and used as a tool to

create connections and allow them to work cooperatively. On the other hand, a more recent

historical event regarding global sports was Russia’s temporary ban from world sporting events

after the doping scandal that took place following the 2012 Summer Olympics. Prime minister

Dmitry Medvedev said this ban was largely due to anti-Russian hysteria, but also acknowledged

significant doping problems within the sporting community. The World Anti-Doping Agency

(Wada) said that "Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and rejoin the
How Do Sports Unify or Divide on a Global Scale? 3

global anti-doping community for the good of its athletes and of the integrity of sport, but it

chose instead to continue in its stance of deception and denial." Events of history show that the

effects of sporting events between nations can be beneficial or lead to deeper conflicts, but

stronger evidence suggests the former is true.

The Cultural Impact of Sports

An important aspect of sports is that they can be enjoyed and played globally, regardless

of language, class, religion, and nationality barriers. In 1999, the Global Sports Alliance was

formed in order to preserve the importance of sports on a worldwide scale. This alliance works to

create a network of environmentally conscious athletes. This demonstrates how sports have

moved beyond solely competition and athleticism, and how players unite across national

boundaries. Within nations, sports can also have a unifying impact on the culture. Emerging

countries use sports to gain cultural and political attention. In the end, their main goal is

achieving long-term global power. This is a "soft power" strategy for gaining international

prestige. This is a concept created by American political scientist Joseph Nye, and largely

studied by scholars and commentators, but there is often debate about how national leaders

acquire this power and how this relates to international affairs. Major sporting events are a great

way for nations to gain this power, to improve a tarnished image as seen by the world and to gain

international prestige. This helps unify the country and strengthen their national identity.

Sports can also be divisive, and lead to the rise of nationalism within countries. Although

the Olympics were founded on ideals of transcending national boundaries for the development of

mankind, Olympic competition in reality leads to the rise of nationalism and divisiveness.

George Orwell described sport as “war, minus the shooting.” Nationalism as a political ideology

has been criticized heavily in the past, for its breeding of hatred and xenophobia. Others argue
How Do Sports Unify or Divide on a Global Scale? 4

that nationalism is necessary for humanity to flourish, and this has been seen in the form of

global sporting events that can strengthen national identification. In particular, studies of fantasy

football leagues within countries show that players are generally selected based on their ethnicity

and nationality rather than their performances. A certain study was done in the Czech Republic,

where fans were shown to prefer domestic athletes, although these results varied from each fan’s

region. This shows the importance of nationalism in fandom among fans. Countries that host

large sporting events such as the Olympics use this platform to showcase their culture and

athletic prowess. For example, the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics provided a rare opportunity

for China to highlight its accomplishments, national identity, and aspirations.

Inequities within Sports

Although sports are played worldwide, it is hard to deny the resource inequities between

countries when it comes to global events. Certain countries have more money to devote towards

developing their athletes for global competition. If a country has less ability to fund equipment

and training for athletes, there is a large chance that they will not perform as well during the

Olympics or international games in general. Global sports can often boil down to which country

has the most resources to win. This can be deemed as unethical or unfair, because global games

meant to be a friendly competition to take pride in one’s country can be led solely by who has the

most economic control. Hosting the Olympic games can often lead to cities falling in debt, as

they prepare for the games by adding roads, building airports, or finding proper housing to

accommodate for the large number of new athletes. According to financial writer Jennifer Wills,

London paid $14.6 billion dollars for hosting the olympics and paralympics in 2012, and Beijing

spent a whopping $42 billion dollars in 2008 (Investopedia). Income from the games is usually

not sufficient to cover such large costs, and cities can spend as long as 30 years paying off debts,
How Do Sports Unify or Divide on a Global Scale? 5

as seen in Montreal in 1976. The most recent example of a country not having the sufficient

funds to host Olympic games was during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games in Brazil, where the

Zika virus had caused usual tourism funds to sharply decrease and the country was not able to

pay for medicine supplies. More often than not, cities cannot handle the large amount of crowds

coming in while hosting Olympic games, and this results in a lot of economic harm.

Sports can not only be divisive globally, but locally as well through income inequality in

the NBA. Kareem Abdul Jabbar was the highest paid NBA player in 1975, making $450,000

while the average player salary was $90,000. This was determined by which skills were of the

most value, but this led to major differences in income. The US median household income in the

same year was $13,779, while an unarmed security guard was making around $7,280 annually. In

2020, income inequality within the NBA has increased even more. Along with this, there are

many more inequities that are not limited to a particular sporting event. Gender inequality in

sports are often as present as they are in broader aspects, such as unequal pay and a lack of

investment towards necessary resources. Even currently, the NCAA has been in controversy for

the difference in weight room equipment between men and women’s locker rooms. The NCAA

responded saying this wasn’t a money issue, but rather a space issue, although Sedona Prince

from the University of Oregon explained that there was plenty of room for this equipment (The

Today Show). Funding for different sporting events is something that is often based on a sports’

popularity, but can lead to a lack of resources for sports that truly need it. An equestrian or

cycling sport may require more funding, but it is lack of popularity can prevent that funding from

happening. In an even broader sense, a difference in education quality between well-funded

versus poorer school districts can cause an advantage or disadvantage for athletes, and hinder the

potential or passion they may have for the sport.

How Do Sports Unify or Divide on a Global Scale? 6

Coming Up with Ways to Solve this Growing Divide in Sports

Many of the divisions highlighted above are a result of the economic policies of today’s

governments. In particular, neoliberalism has become pervasive in the dominant Western

societies that then impose these ideals on other developing countries through global financial

structures, such as the “‘structural adjustment’ policies pushed by international financial

institutions.” (Prakash) Movement towards a solution would involve changing economic systems

to move away from neoliberalism and to invest in more policies that discourage income

inequality and increase social spending. For example, reversing the trends of government

deregulation of industry and weakening of labor unions would help to bring back more equality

in the economic system. With greater income equality within and between countries, we can

move away from nationalistic hostility. If richer countries are no longer exploiting poorer

countries and if all countries are on a more equal economic footing, then much of the hostility

that drives divisiveness in international sporting competitions will be reduced. Implementing a

more equitable economic system and increasing social spending would also help to reduce

inequality in resources for sporting events within countries. As noted above, there are differences

in funding between richer and poorer areas and school districts in the United States. Having more

resources available for all can help to reduce these inequities, as well as inequality in funding

between male and female sports and for more popular and less popular sports.

In conclusion, the increasing quest for power that is rooted in the current global economic

system has made competitiveness and national divides even more significant in sports. As sports

are often used as a measure of showing national pride, these seemingly peaceful games can lead

into much more important issues. Although sports were used to unify and resolve hostility in the
How Do Sports Unify or Divide on a Global Scale? 7

past, the question is often raised of whether or not this is still the goal in global sporting events

that have been growing in popularity throughout the past few decades.
How Do Sports Unify or Divide on a Global Scale? 8

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