Politics and Sport

Question 1

What is politics

Answer 1

Def: “any activity related to influencing,
making, and implementing
decisions that affect collections of
groups of people, from small groups
to societies”

In a more informal sense, politics
are about power:
-Who or what group has the authority to enact their preferred ideologies, structures, and meanings in a society
- Public funding, legislation, and processes of accountability all play
a role in political processes

Question 2

Canada’s sports policy framework

Answer 2

Canada sport policy 2012
-Goverment is main funder of the sport system in Canada

What polices are included:
-doping
-participation in sports for women and girls
-Polices for mega sports events
-sports for those with disability

Thorny policy issues:
-example of concussion
-challenging/controversial polices

Question 3

Canada sports and politics

Answer 3

Canada funds majority of public sport
-national sport organization
-olympic and Paralympic sport centres and institutes
-national multisport service organizations (ex: common wealth games)

Question 4

Civil society

Answer 4

Sport organizations …
MSOs = National Multisport Services
Organizations and
NSOs = National Sport Organizations) are key parts of civil society

• Civil society: groups and organizations working in the interest of citizens but not officially as part of government or for-profit sector

Question 5

Sports as an instrument for foreign policy

Answer 5

Soft power:
“forms of power that seek to influence
outcomes through non-coercive means” (involves “politics of
persuasion”)

MOST NATIONS HAVE USED SPORT EVENTS REGULARLY TO PROMOTE THEIR OWN MILITARY, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL GOALS

Question 6

Sports “soft power” and the Cold War

Answer 6

Cold War—post World War II to the early 1990s (1947– 1991): U.S. (and allies) vs. U.S.S.R (and allies)

• Played out via “proxy” wars in remote parts of the world (instead of direct armed conflict)
• Also via social and cultural confrontations (like sport) that were meant to demonstrate superiority of way of life and economic system
• U.S.S.R. and U.S.A. both invested heavily in high performance sport

Protests and boycotts: each refused to participate in events hosted by the other as a form of protest against what each called “objectionable” action

Question 7

Sports “soft power” and the Cold War examples

Answer 7

• U.S. and Canada, plus 64 other countries, boycotted the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan

Famous U.S.- Soviet Union hockey game at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.
* “The Miracle on Ice”

Famous 1972 Canada-Russia
“Summit Series”
* Eight games series
* Formally billed (by diplomats) as a
venue for building bridges and
understanding between the two
countries
* Not only about hockey, but about

Question 8

Beyond Superpowers

Answer 8

What about some of the world’s
poorer and less politically powerful
nations?
* International sports competitions
can provide them an uncommon
platform
* Cricket: West Indies and India