The idealistic thought that sports cause nationalism has a vital flaw, an ironic paradox, in that the result of almost all sporting events is hatred toward fellow countrymen.
World sporting events are meant to unify countries, bond citizens, evoke nationalism but for every country except, the victors, the sport does the converse leaving the people defeated and divided.
After the end to the most watched sporting event in the world, the world cup, every Spaniard was proud to wear their colors, a sense of pride washed over Spain and its victorious citizens, but did any one stop and consider the Netherlands--the defeated Netherlands? How about the French or the English both embarrassed by their teams performance and shenanigans in the world cup?
The French star Nicolas Anelkaa announced his retirement from international soccer after his disgraceful performance, ashamed to play on the French team again. The French newspapers continue to stir up fights between the players and the French government, creating an on-goning division in the nation.
Rarely, do we consider the losers. Contemplate the affects of the loss. How the teams feel going back to their home country disgraced by defeat. Do we ever think about the citizens humiliated to be part of a dishonored nation, discarding or burning their national jerseys and flags? Do we ever stop and consider the unintended consequences the competitions have?
The date is 1994 and the US team is playing the world favorite Colombia--a Colombian team that is favored to win the entire world cup tournament. The US is putting up a valiant fight as a US midfielder cuts down the field and crosses the ball in front of the apposing goal in the hopes a teammate will put it in the back of the net. To his greatest surprise a Colombian defender accidently does this for him, scoring on his own goal. This mistake cost the Colombians the game and also the tournament, in a 2-1 loss to the US.
This blunder made by Colombian midfielder, Andres Escobar, infuriated almost all of Colombia and shocked the world.
Andres Escobar returned home in shame, mocked and threatened by his once fellow countrymen. Two weeks fallowing his dreadful mistake, Andres Escobar was outside of a nightclub when two men began to shoot him, with a gun, shouting goal, goal, goal! Escobars simple mistake turned into a fatal one when he died shortly after the shooting.
Players on the world stage will go to extreme measures to try and avoid this fate.
With the fear of loosing in the back of her mind, figure skater, Tonya Harding, allegedly asked her husband and friends to eliminate her competition, Nancy Kerrigan. Nancy Kerrigan also happened to be Harding’s teammate. Kerrigan was at an Olympic competition in Detroit when Harding’s husband’s friend clubbed her in the leg with a bat.
This event exemplified the very real division being created by national sporting events, divisions between nations, between national citizens and even teammates. Where is the nationalism in any of this?
I don't they said sports necessarily cause nationalism; they focused more on how we make nationalistic interpretations of sports.
ReplyDelete"The idealistic thought that sports cause nationalism has a vital flaw, an ironic paradox, in that the result of almost all sporting events is hatred toward fellow countrymen." this is a good and original idea.
I like the first 3 examples, including the Columbian midfielder one, but think going to Tonya Harding was too far. You needed fewer examples and more explication and analysis of how this works, how to avoid it, whether it will get worse in the future, whether this is worse for 3rd world countries rather than 1st world. You know, apply rhetorical strategies to get in more detail about how you think this link works.
So great initial idea and great examples, and work on more rhetorical moves after that point.