Race And Politics In Sports

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Politics and sports have a long history of being intertwined in the United States of America. Race, sports, and politics all have been revolving around the others in complicated history. Sports itself were once an idea to be separated from the state and to be used for fair competition only. An athlete would be successful based on his or her skill, preferably skill, but not based on gender or skin color. There was thought to be a realization that the liberal philosophy of fair play with all players. Unfortunately, sports faced its toughest opponent, the United States and its government. Players like Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and Colin Kaepernick have used their fame and voice to stand up for the injustices throughout…show more content…
This way of thinking continued until after World War II with Jackie Robinson with the Dodgers. People explicitly say that politics should not take place in sports, but some forget about the vivid political division of baseball in this country by race. If one athlete steps out of line in the eyes of the government or the Olympic committee then consequences are beyond measures. Identities that were built over years of success, sponsorships, and wide fan base are suddenly stripped away, because he or she challenged the higher power. Current events and political tensions influence sports and athletes based on society’s expectations and predicted reactions. These messages that athletes express are received by the government with a nod or rejection and punishment. Numerous athletes have used their fame to voice injustices within…show more content…
Male athletes maintain a persona which lacks vulnerability resulting in steroid intake and sacrifice body health for the better of the team. Another interesting aspect for sports is that there are “two great fears to keep male athletes aligned: being called a girl and homophobia.” These two fears leads in male athletes to stay confined to “the closet”, because if one steps out of line then a social norm breaks and that limits credibility to the individual based off society and the government’s perspective. However, games experience this manhood through the militarization. Sports help glamorize ongoing wars through veterans’ appreciation, the national anthem, and mascots fighting various country rivals. This glamorization appears in more than football stadiums, but events in track and field, hockey, basketball, and at the Olympics

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