Politics and Sports

How have sports become more global?

-Recruiting teams from other countries -Using equipment manufactured in low- and middle- income countries where labour is often exploited

According to the textbook serious diplomacy involves:

discussions and decisions about political issues of vital national and international interest

What was the issue with Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu?

-He was annointed as the captain of the team because he is seen by the owners as a leader of the team but he goes through hell with the media -The guy almost lost his life from cancer and almost lost his sight from a stick and the injury was so severe that they said he may never play again -He raises a lot of money for charities, visits hospitals on a regular basis, never heard any of his team mates talking about him, does everything you would expect of a captain yet the French press kept berating him about his apparent lack of effort to learn the French language

What is reverse migration?

-Retired players from North American sport teams who travel overseas and compete -These athletes will often receive dual-citizenship status and be eligible to compete for either their home- or host-nation at international competitions (Olympics)

How do governments use sports?

-Use international sports to establish their nations legitimacy in an international sphere -Winning medals enhances their image -If they have no professional sports team they have no world status

What were sports supposed to help achieve?

1. Create lines of communications between nations 2. Highlight shared interests among people from different backgrounds 3. Demonstrate that friendly international relationships are possible 4. Eliminate national stereotypes 5. Establish working relationships between leaders

What is the hierarchy of the three levels of authority in sport?

1. Government (regional, provincial, federal) 2. Businesses and corporations (who sponsor athletes) 3. Sport organizations (regional, provincial, national)

What are the reasons for government involvement in sports?

1. Safeguard public order 2. Maintain health and fitness 3. Promote prestige and power of a group or nation 4. Promote sense of identity and unity 5. Reproduce values of dominant ideology 6. Increase support of political leaders 7. Promote economic development in community

Authority

A form of power that comes with legitimate status or office in government, organization, or an established set of relationships

What does the term politics include?

All processes of governing people and administering policies - public and private

Power

An ability to influence people and achieve goals even in the face of opposition from others

What qualifies as a sport politically at the Olympic level?

At the Olympic level, a sport must have an officially designated international governing body, a history of international competition prior to IOC

How is government involvement in sport justified?

Because it served the "public good"

What is the University of Toronto's Code on child labour?

Created guidelines for sponsorship to athletic teams including fair working conditions and non-child labour

What are some issues with the relocation of athletes from their hometowns/countries due to trades or recruitment?

Each move raises issues of personal adjustment, rights of athletes as workers, impact of talent migration on both nations, and the impact of athlete migration on the identities of athletes and fans

Out of the goals that sports was supposed to help achieve, which ones have been somewhat accomplished?

Eliminating National Stereotypes has been slightly eliminated as there was a stereotype that a team with a European captain could not win a Stanley cup because they are not strong enough to be leaders -There had never been one win with a European captain until 2 years ago when the Swedish player named Lidstrom won while playing in Detroit

How does global migration of athletes affect how fans perceive them?

Fans typically appreciate talent, regardless of where "it comes from" (e.g., Ovechkin) but they also may have special affection for athletes born and raised in their nation (e.g., Crosby)

Governments

Formal organizations with the power to make and enforce rules in a particular territory or collection of people

How has the hosting of large events become political?

Hosting an Olympics, grey cup, super bowl, all star games or any event is political with bribes and a way to "wine and dine" the judges or those determining the outcome in order to try and sway them your way

Using the information presented in the test and lecture, who in your opinion has the biggest influence on sport? Government, fans, athletes, corporate sponsors or owners?

In our opinion it was the Government as the government controls the money and as seen at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, when the government implemented some money to aide the athlete in their training and everything going in to the Olympics, we came away with a major advantage with "Own the Podium" -Without the government aide, the athletes were unable to get the training and the funding to pay for their expenses associated with their sports and our out come at the Olympics was not very good but by adding the money the results are huge! -Same was seen in Australia when they hosted the Sydney Olympics and put a lot of money into their athletics leading up to them, they were able to have a very good outcome from doing this

Was the French media upset that Saku Koivu was not learning French or was it a political outcry as a way to make a "political" statement?

In the sense that speaking French is not a skill that is needed for him to play the game in terms of the on ice events and they should be more concerned about his talent than his ability to speak another language

What is sport for the development of peace (SDP)?

International aid from wealthy nations to poorer ones which included sports initiatives in organizations such as the right to play

What is the issue with street hockey in Canada?

It is banned

Is this fair to the countries that are losing these players?

It is not necessarily fair to the country but it gives the athlete an opportunity to make substantially more money than that which is available in their country as well those players still compete for their home country for international events and in the future with the increase in media outlets, people in Russia will be able to watch every game where their players participate

What did Participaction do?

It was a way to motivate people to get physically active

What are the rules of a sport, how are they constructed?

Rules are social constructions created through political processes

Where does sports fit in globally in relation to politics?

Sports is as connected to politics as any other part of society and it was thought that they would bridge the gap and promote peace and world development but this has not happened -Other areas, sports has been used politically to express a nations dominant ideology

Who organizes and controls sporting events?

Standards of sport events emerge when governing body is stable but once established, they do not exist for all of time -Sports based on judges are highly political as they are subjected to bribery, personal connections and coercion

What is the name of the political organization in charge of University sports within Canada?

The CIS which has its own sets of rules for the sports under it

What was the Salle and Pelltier scandal?

The French judge took a bribe from the Russians to ensure that the Russians would get the gold medal in the pairs figure skating event at the Salt Lake Olympics

What sport group/competition has the most political ties?

The Olympics

What is the political issue occurring within the province of Quebec currently in 2011?

The arena in Quebec city, and where the money is coming from for this arena, may come from the province or other provinces

What did the film Invictus show?

The film Invictus depicts how the South African president Nelson Mandela used the sport of rugby to bring his country together as one

Who makes and enforces the rules in sports?

The international governing body but becoming the lone governing body of that sport is a matter of politics as often there are several governing bodies with different rules for a single sport

How are awards distributed?

The owners right now make more money than the athletes which is not fair as the athletes are the ones that are brining the entertainment that gets them the money

Politics

The processes and procedures of making decisions that affect collections of people. From small groups to societies and even multiple societies that are unified for certain purposes -Processes through which power is gained and used in social life

What was the issue with the 1936 Berlin Olympics?

The whole reason for Hitler wanting the games was to promote his arian race and Nazi ideology

What is meant by the comment: "We now have to face the reality that the Olympics constitute not only an athletic vent but a political event"?

There have been a lot of boycotts around bringing people to the Olympics such as John Carlos and Tommy Smith at the Olympics, student protestors, Munich Olympics with the Palestinians and the Israelis, etc

How do political leaders use sports?

They use their connections with athletes and teams to boost their acceptance and attend highly publicized sporting events to show their support

Was Montreal hosting the Olympics a good thing?

This is debatable as it gave Montreal World class status but it put them in debt for 30 some years

Who is eligible to participate?

This issue is hotly contested based on those with dual citizenship, it is not clear who they have to participate for

According to the textbook, public diplomacy is:

creating a public expression of togetherness in the form of cultural exchanges and general communication among officials from various nations