Attending the Olympics is a pursuit both aggravating and exhilarating. This paradox characterized my experience of the games. There will always be more exciting events to attend, but that does not diminish the intense allure of the biggest party in the world, whether or not there is anything to enjoy in it. The Vancouver Olympic events both sporting and cultural were characterized by agonizingly long lines, hyper-dense crowds, and expensive, often unobtainable tickets. While the list of free activities offered in the lower mainland warranted its own guidebook, those partaking in these events deserved a gold medal in waiting. Regardless of ennui in waiting, there was an undeniable excitement and fervor in the air. The streets of Vancouver were filled with national pride. Everyone was adorned in red and white and reeked of booze. With no where to go, nothing todo, the crowd took to chanting, ‘high fiving’, and forming a directionless swaggering march through the streets. While I had an excellent time partaking in the patriotic, near jingoist marching, the real highlights of my Olympic experience came from the observations of others. Media coverage of the Olympics was ubiquitous. Asides from the standard coverage of sporting and cultural events, there was coverage of absolutely everything that happened in the lower mainland. Both accredited, unaccredited and amateur media asked and answered everything to do with the Olympics. Everyday I would scour the internet, finding nuanced reporting and analysis of the games. The high definition live television coverage of the games gave me front row seats that others paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for. My Olympic experience was then two part, my adventures in the circus and my exploratio...
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...bie, where I saw an act of altruism and generosity. A Sikh community was handing out what smelt like a delicious curry and juice to anyone who wanted. The duality of despair and generosity was ever present in the Downtown East Side that day.
Having been thoroughly depressed by my observations, I decided to get back to the Olympic Spirit. I met some friends at a bar in Yaletown to watch the Canada vs. Switzerland game. Our seats were in the back of the bar, with a partially obstructed view of a tiny television, but that did not dissuade our enthusiasm towards the game. The bar was filled with excitement, people were cheering with drunken fervor. The beer was expensive, the television was small, all the while the excitement was invigorating. Following Canada’s narrow overtime victory, the patrons of the bar cleared out and filled the streets in celebration.
Morrow, D., Keyes, M., Simpson,W., Cosentino, F., & Lappage, R. (1989). A Concise History of Sport In Canada. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.
Terrence and Jordin Tootoo grew up in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, in Canada’s arctic region. They were like other Inuit children in Rankin Inlet in many respects: They were brought up to respect the customs of their people and they enjoyed the resources the land around them provided- they learned to hunt and fish for food like the others. However, the brothers were also different from their peers in one main respect- they were blessed with a love for the game of hockey, and also with extraordinary amounts of talent which would enable them to leave their native community to pursue the dream of professional hockey. While the brothers were growing up they were inseparable; however, after leaving Rankin Inlet to pursue the professional game their respective careers took strikingly different paths. Jordin’s journey took him to the top- he was drafted into the National Hockey League and signed a lucrative contract with the Nashville Predators. However, Terrence’s road to the professional ranks was filled with hardship and tragedy, ultimately resulting in his suicide in August of 2002. The contrasting paths taken by the brothers is an illustration of how professional sporting careers can have varying impacts on the lives of Native American and Canadian athletes and their communities. In the following few paragraphs I will outline the history of Native Americans and Canadians in sports. I will examine how successful Native athletes are able to help their communities, both financially and by serving as role models for younger Natives. Also, I will argue that their still exist barriers and challenges to Native athletes that do not confront other athletes. For example, Native athletes are often placed under increased scrutiny because of their positions as role models. I will conclude by commenting on how Native athletes fit into pro sports today, and speculate on what can be done to increase the amount of success enjoyed by Natives.
There exists a contradiction of support and conflict with commercialization of the Olympic Games and the principle of Olympism that “seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.” (IOC, 2013, p.13) The rising expense of the Games has caused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to enlist the help of sponsors which in turn causes conflicts of the Olympic values and ideals through their educational activities. Because of this conflict not all sponsors fully meet the concept of Olympism. The philosophy of Olympism is a vital component of the Olympic Movement and the celebration of the Olympic Games. Olympism
ABSTRACT: The purity of the Olympics has been smeared by scandal, corruption, boycotts, political disputes and even acts of terrorism. Sadly, politics have taken control of the Olympics and turned it into a political and money-making extravaganza. Olympic boycotts became a way for countries to protest each other. Hitler tried to use the Games to prove his belief of racial superiority. Wars interfered with the Olympics. Bloodshed even covered the Olympics, in the 1972 Munich Games where terrorists killed eleven Israeli Olympic members. Unfortunately, throughout Olympic history, politics have overshadowed the true focus of the Games. They were "intended to unite the countries of the world through friendly competition" not segregate them through politics (Siggers 1).
Sports have always been important part of Canadian identity and culture. Since the rapid growth of both amateur and professional sports in the beginning of the previous century, sports like hockey, basketball and curling became inseparable part of Canadian culture. The two books under review examine Canadian sports in twentieth century and the changes it went through in early twentieth century are Bruce Kidd’s, The Struggle for Canadian Sport (University of Toronto Press, 1996) and Colin D. Howell’s, Blood, Sweat, and cheers: sport and the making of modern Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2001). Howell argues that sport in twentieth century was “important in the construction of gender identities and in the shaping of ethnic, racial, regional and community allegiances“. Kidd however argues that “the particular transformations of this period have shaped the structure of Canadian sports as much as anything before or since.” Both authors believe that this time period in sports had formative influence not only on the sports culture but also on Canadian identity
A seemingly non-emotional, non-verbal, non-violent protest over racism was met with a great deal of negativity at the Olympic Games. Because of the location of their “protest” over racial inequality, many people did not agree with what they were doing. It was not considered socially acceptable to let their opinion on the matters of race play a part of the “opinion-free” Olympic Games. Instantly, the audience at the game did not like their way of letting the people know of their beliefs as the crowd went silent. As John Carlos stated in his book, “There’s something awful about hearing fifty thousand people go silent, like being in the eye of a hurricane. Then, as the national anthem played in full force, the calm before the storm ended and the ‘boos’ started coming down” (Carlos 121).
The recent Olympic Winter Games has brought out the true spirit of Canada in us all. Never has the nation seen such displays of en-masse patriotism as we rallied together in support of our athletes. This is the true spirit of Canada, often tucked behind a blank facade, invisible to the world. As Canadians toil silently in support of the world, we remind ourselves that the greater good is good for us as well. Canada’s strong foreign aid policy is just an example of how we truly are a good neighbour.
Fun at organized, purpose-driven sports is associated with achieving goals rather than physical expression and joy. The process is now secondary to the product, and the journey is secondary to the destination. People in postindustrial societies live with the legacy of industrialization. They emphasize organization according to rational principles based, whenever possible, on systematic research. Being organized and making plans to accomplish goals is so important that spontaneity, expression, creativity, and joy- the element of play- are given low priority or may even be considered frivolous by event planners, coaches, and spectators. Snowboarder Terje Haakonsen decided against performing in the Olympics because he didn’t want to endorse a form of sport in which organization and rationalization had subverted play. Haakonsen believe that fun and effort merge together in sports when they are done in terms set by participants. This merger collapse when sports are done for judges using criteria that ignore the subjective experience of participation. When creating sports, these are important things to remember because there is a tendency in postindustrial cultures to organize all physical activities for the purposes of rationally assessing skills and performances. Working to improve physical
The Olympic Games of 1972 and 1980 were games to remember for their surprising outcomes. The Cold War had been going on for since 1947 and the bitter rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union was at a peek. Both the United State’s basketball team and the Soviet Union’s hockey team remained undefeated until these games. During these Olympics, the superior team was beaten by the weaker one, and tensions between the two nations were affected. Each nation experienced extraordinary Olympic victories, but for very different reasons.
A very popular and large sporting event that receives an extremely high volume of national media coverage is the Olympic Games. For a number of years, major stations like NBC has provided audiences with an around the clock coverage of the Games. Many other major medias similar to NBC have also done the same by devoted sections solely to the Olympic Games. The Olympics is a time where citizens come together to root for their home country, strengthening their sense of nationalism and pride and cheering for their home athletes to come out victoriously and the country as a powerhouse of the world. Organically, the games give off a sense of war like mentality because countries are competing against each other for the prize, the gold metal. As a competitive college athlete, I can relate to the feeling of pride and nationalism one get before and especially after competing and beating an opponent.
The Olympic Games plays a significant role in the world. The relationship between it and host countries is important to investigate for comprehending cultural studies. According to Xu and Kirby (2008), the Olympic Games has a considerable impact on the expression of national identity. For example, London applied this approach to promote its national identity. This can be discovered from the BBC video called James Bond escorts The Queen to the opening ceremony in 2012 (2012): an amiable identity is perceived by the audience through presenting corgi at Buckingham Palace. Moreover, China is no exception. There is an image about the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics, it shows a spectacular drumming performance. In addition, an article about
Different studies and analysis opens up many of the inner dimensions of the experience of sports and media. Understanding sports, media, and spectacle reveals both details and generalizations about our culture and our general humanity.
If you were to ask my friends what I love to do, my guess is that the majority of them would come up with this reply, "He loves to play sports". Sports are a big part of my life, and if I had to choose my favorite sport to play it would have to be basketball. I couldn't imagine going a week without being able to touch a basketball, and I thought I would never have to. But on one summer afternoon, that all changed when I broke my leg. It left me on crutches for two months, and not being able to play basketball all that summer. At first I thought it wouldn't be so bad, getting all the attention and sympathy from everyone. However, after one game I soon realized that I would do just about anything to get rid of those horrible crutches and get back on the court.
The Olympic Games were a vital part of Greek culture which was heavily influenced by athletics. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest presentation of athletic skill and competitive spirit. Thousands of athletes and spectators participate in this universal event. Revived in 1896, the Olympic Games had their beginnings in ancient Greece, and since then the event is very much comparable to modern Olympic events.