The Olympics have shown over the decades that they can be affected by political conflict. However, it seems that this is the point of the Olympics, to illustrate national pride, by competition. Bloodshed should not be the way for pride of one’s country to be shown, but it should be shown through competition, in the words of the founder of the modern Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin(1). The games have been used as a weapon for denouncing a country’s sportsmanship, such as in 1956 when Arnold Lunn, a British Olympic team official accused the Nazis of cheating in the 1936 Olympic games that were held in Germany. He went on to allege that the competitors of Germany went onto the course while it was closed to athletes. Though the fact that they were trying so hard to practice, could be an example of the importance placed on the games at the time before war period. This is implied by the statement by Arnold Lunn that victory was the only thing that mattered to the Nazis, and how they achieved it did not matter as long as they did(3). The use of the Olympics to show off one’s country was further demonstrated during the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union were itching to outdo one another. Bob Matthias gives insight through an interview into the United State’s yearning to win over Russia. The competitor told of the spirit of winning throughout the team, even in the athletes that were sure to win for the United States(4). This is a stark contrast to an information guide provided by the Soviet Union regarding the olympics being held in Moscow that year. It tells of seeking peace with the U.S., and how…
"The athletes were distressed at the use of the Olympics and the American athletes for a political agenda. That's sort of counter to the whole Olympic Games, especially in the US where the government doesn't support the athletes at all but then sort of feel like [Carter] has a right to use us…” said rower, Carol Brown. This political cartoon from the time of the Olympics shows the strong emotions of how the athletes felt that they were being chained and prevented from competing.…
The Modern Olympics were shaped in different ways that include many social, economic, and political factors. These factors over time changed the games from what they were in 1892 to what they were in 2002. Based on the documents the games have been changing not only the games themselves but also the countries that participate and human rights however these can be positive changes or negative changes.…
The Olympic games today have been influenced by many factors that happened throughout history. In documents 2 and 8, the increases of women participants in the games show social change of the world. In documents 3 and 4 the influence of nationalism causes countries to become extremely competitive. In 6 and 3 nations show their pride of their home country by proving themselves as top notch. In 7 and 10, the opinionated views of a Japanese and Pakistani journalist on the wealth of certain nations and the strategy of certain countries in the playing of a sport. In documents 1 and 5, countries are shown to be needing the games in order to rebuild not only economy but pride and in documents 9 and 7, powerhouses prove they will always overcome the enemy.…
Rhetoric is defined as “the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing” and “language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience”. It can also refer to describing meaning as a whole or “a vehicle for meaning whose aim is often to identify, inform, or persuade an audience.” The Summer Olympics and rhetoric do not sound like they have anything to do with each other, but in fact, the Olympics is one of the most communicated mass media events occurring to date. Without the games, many issues would have gone unnoticed, such as underprivileged Muslim athletes, unstable inter-country relationships, and even bad televising. They bring countries closer through mutual appreciation for sports and help build bridges between them but at the same time exasperate teams with pre-existing affairs. Today, the Olympic games are highly commercialized and it is hard to look past the media hype and intense product marketing, but they still act as great median for communication between viewers and athletes, alike.…
There are also a range of issues that can affect an individual’s participation in sport; the sports legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the role of the media, race and economic influences can all affect participation. Sports development will tackle some of these issues and the impact they have on individuals.…
The novel Sula, is a work which contrasts the lives of its two main characters Nel and Sula. They appear, on the surface, to be the epidemy of binary opposites but this is in actuality their underlying bond. The differences in their personalities complement one another in a way that forges an almost unbreakable alliance. Sula is compulsive and uncontrollable while her counterpart, Nel, is sensible and principled. To prove Nel human by subscribing to the theory that a human is one who possess both good and bad traits, one must only look at how she interacts with Sula, here both negative and positive traits are evident.Nel's "good" traits obviously come to the forefront when looking at her character. One might say this is a result of how she was raised and that she was simply a product of her environment. Nel's parents married out of convenience rather than love and Nel was raised in a household of "oppressive neatness" (page 29). Nel's mother Helene played a large role in establishing her positive attitude and calm demeanor. "Under Helene's hand the girl became obedient and polite. Any enthusiasms that little Nel showed were calmed by the mother until she drove her daughter's imagination underground."(Page 18) Although this would seem lead to an extremely sad existence, it was exactly this kind of environment that lead to Nel's calm and reasonable disposition.Nel's "bad" traits are as well hidden as her "good traits are evident. If there were one action in particular that might blemish the otherwise flawless character of Nel it would be her selfish behavior. This behavior is seen when Nel attempts to recreate the relationship that she and Sula share with someone else, instead of maintaining her relationship with Sula. Now instead of Nel and Sula joined to make one person, Nel and Jude "together would make one Jude." (Page 83) Another of Nel's negative qualities was how dependent she was on what other thought of her. The only reason Nel ended her relationship with…
Athletes have always been at the center of popular culture, they are looked up to as idols and representations of human perfection. While athletes entertain us as spectators, they have become too large for their own good. William Moller, the author, has shown solid facts and engaging social commentary that brings the public to support his claim of how athletes are held too high in today’s society. Moller argues that athletes may be held too high as a community, but he is not bashing them in a negative way.…
Milford, M. (2012). The Olympics, Jesse Owens, Burke, and the Implications of Media Framing in Symbolic Boasting. Mass Communication & Society, 15(4), 485-505. doi:10.1080/15205436.2012.665119…
Professional athletes are celebrities in today’s world. The superstars of their sport get paid millions of dollars every year. They are also role models for many young people that wish to play the same sport. But it wasn’t always that way; however, sports have always been affected by the culture of that time. In the 1960’s sports have been affected by war, racism, and politics.…
From the beginning, controversy has followed the Olympic Games. Indeed, at times it seems as if the Olympic movement would fall apart under its own weight, with several commentators even suggesting that the world would be a better place without the Games. Since…
You can learn a lot about the world through modern Olympic values such as peace and equality. However,…
To be a Black Woman in America is a peculiar experience; it is both masterfully beautiful and painfully destructive. In the wake of the 2016 Olympics, one could see Black Women dominating in a multitude of competitive arenas including track and field, gymnastics, swimming, basketball, tennis, boxing, and fencing. Powerful athletes like Simone Biles, Allyson Felix, Clarissa Shields, and Ibtihaj Muhammad broke world records and stereotypes through their amazing feats of perseverance, athleticism, and endurance. Despite their triumphs, these athletes were publicly chastised for seemingly trivial issues of their hair, facial expressions, and perceived unpatriotic attitudes. Even in the world’s arena of athleticism and human spirit where social constructs such as race should be a non-factor, these women were vilified, subjugated, and disrespected by virtue of their marginal status of woman and black. Headlines of their accomplishments were filled with language steeped and smothered in sexism, misogyny, and racism. BBC reporter, John Inverdale, remarked that Andy Murray was the first athlete to win two gold medals in tennis.…
The life of an athlete has changed significantly over the years. Their salaries have increased along with their popularity. But possibly the most considerable change has been in the culture. It seems that every day on ESPN we here about another athlete getting in trouble. Society loves to put athletes up on this metaphorical pedestal, but they love even more to watch them fall off. Of course there are athletes that we can look up to as model citizens, but the group’s image as a whole is most definitely suffering. When it comes to athletes, there is a lot more to it than what is seen on the field. Growing up, sports are used to teach lessons of hard work, discipline, and most of all teamwork. These three attributes are useful on and off the field. But what happens when natural talent allows an individual to succeed without developing these attributes? This individual will prosper without ever learning the true meaning of sport. Natural ability can be a curse to most athletes. They take their talent for granted and do not set goals to become better. Natural talent can only take one so far before their lack of hard work, discipline, and teamwork turns into their downfall. The off-the-field life of an athlete is one of partying, spending absurd amounts of money, and run-ins with the law. The development of this lifestyle evidently begins in college and eventually affects most athletes’ professional careers in a way that usually leads to their demise.…
William Shakespeare’s famous literary classic Hamlet (1603) was written over four centuries ago, readers continue to reveal new meaning to the play. One important aspect of that is of subjectivity, particularly Hamlet’s. What emerges in the passage that is now known as the ‘What a piece of work is a man’ passage (Scene II, Act II) is the subjectivity of Hamlet, giving a definitive sense of his identity as well the impression he leaves. Within the passage of ‘What a piece of work is man’, Hamlet’s subjectivity can be seen ultimately through the interaction he has with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz.…