Ways sport can be used for political reasons

Question 1

Define the term ‘politics’ (2)

Answer 1

• “The processes and procedures of making decisions that affect collections of people, from small groups to societies…”
  
  • Around governments, making decisions around how we can move throughout the world, how much money we pay in taxes, does not have to be the government as it can be any sort of governing body
• “Processes through which power is gained and used in social life”
  
  • This definition is from sociologists perspective - how is it we negotiate with others and how do we raise our voices through things we do not like and attempt to create change

Question 2

Describe what is meant by an ‘old’ politics of sport?

Answer 2

• Textbook: ‘Old’ politics of sport focuses on ways that nations and governments use sport as part of their efforts to promote nationalism and unity.
• Textbook: It is about exploring sport’s role in foreign policy, which means considering (for example) how sport is used to attain prestige and recognition in the international community
• ‘Old’ politics of sport refers to this state-centered thinking that has to do with the way that government has actively use sport in diplomatic reasons

Question 3

Explain how the Canada-Soviet Union ‘Summit Series’ in 1972 is an example of an ‘old’ politics of sport

Answer 3

• Canada and Soviet union wanted to show unity between the two countries so that they could strengthen their bilateral relations through the country leaders bond for hockey
• Canada wanted to pursue foreign policy so they could attain prestige and recognition in the international community which created an identify for them separate from the U.S really creating a sense of autonomy
• Canada partook in this ‘Summit Series’ to gain independence from U.S because there were tensions among the two countries when Canada did not show support in the Vietnam war
• There was also concern of the Americanization of Canada which highlights that this ‘Sumiet Series’ was a way for Canada to use hockey as a way to show that they have other relations outside of the U.S and do not blindly follow them. However by winning this series it did not show as much union with the Soviet Union rather gained them recognition showing the use of hockey for diplomatic reasons

Question 4

What is public diplomacy, and what does it have to do with sport?

Answer 4

• Public diplomacy refers to the engagement of and attempt to win favor from people living in other countries, and to the processes through which ‘international actor have sought to engage foreign publics’
• It makes the assumption that positive relationships between people in ‘our’ country and people in other countries will potentially reinforce or lead to positive relationships between governments of these countries
• Strategies for ‘doing’ public diplomacy include: hosting a major sporting event—and using the event as a platform to disseminate desirable messages to international tourists and viewers/readers of international media; succeeding at international sporting competitions as a means of increasing exposure and prestige on the global stage; and participating in and publicizing sport-related cultural exchanges, in which touring teams and athletes play exhibition matches designed to foster relationships
• Another example of a public diplomacy event is Canada’s dramatic hockey victory over the Soviet Union in the well-known Summit Series of 1972 (cultural exchange)
• Class Notes
• Public diplomacy and sport mega events: refers to the idea that not direct diplomacy but rather doing things like holding major sport events with the idea of trying to engage foreign politics - develop relationships with everyday people whether people end up coming to the country or tune in to watch which can improve relationships between countries

Question 5

What is an example of Public Diplomacy?

Answer 5

• Example: China’s foreign policy around the Beijing 2008 Olympics (use mega-events for diplomatic reasons)
  
  • One world, one dream - viewed as an example of public diplomacies where they were promoting links with both Olympics and inviting world to come to Beijing to view their advancements which was a way of enhancing relationships with the rest of the world
    * Used it to show desirable messages of how their country is improved and gain media exposure so all around the world see progression in China and hope to build relations with them as a result
  • It also allowed those coming from the olympics from other countries to foster relationships as they play matches against other countries

Question 6

Outline reasons that some see globalization as positive and helpful for promoting peace (4)

Answer 6

• Global flow of goods/services helpful – when trade enhanced, more wealth – ‘trickle-down’ (money trickles down to those who work in the organizations and to those in the communities - not just the top dogs controlling everything) (according to many economists and others, it goods flow around the world and corporations make more money then they can make more money)
• Cosmopolitanism…diversity and hybrid cultures - if we travel around the world and meet others who have travelled we learn about different people, countries and cultures which can be a positive as you get an enhanced understanding of diversity and increased level of diversity leading to hybrid cultures as people of different backgrounds come together
• Connections worldwide – community, activism (environmental movements, BLM - global community focused around social, environmental justice issues) - allows us to connect with those around the world through shared interest or if we travel ourselves we can connect with those back home - global world where we move but allows us to communicate with those around the world
• Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention
• links ‘having a McDonalds’ (an openness to global corporate influence) with peace! - those countries that have McDonalds will not go to War with one another - having a McDonalds implies an openness to a global corporate influence and his argument is that when countries are linked economically having McDonalds is symbolic both of these countries being likely participants in global economy (like trade partners) - invested in same economic community there is too much at stake to go to war

Question 7

What does Globalization mean?

Answer 7

Globalization – “compression of the world and intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole”
* idea that our access to the world and ability to move around the world has been enhanced - because we are more aware and can touch them more easily - not only are we better able to understand what is taking place because of access to news, social media and internet but also we know it in almost real time and pretty quickly

Question 8

What flaws have been identified with a neoliberal approach to: (i) addressing environmental issues and (ii) providing recreational services for less wealthy groups? Be sure to explain how it is that a neoliberal approach is associated with the problem (4)

Answer 8

• Economic globalization favours western countries
  
  • Exploit resources of non-western countries like Nike in southeast Asia – labour conditions, wages
• If you are going to open up borders and make it easier for corporations to move around the world and not monitor corporate conduct - this tends to favour countries in West that move factories that require mass production to non-western countries to find cheaper labour costs
• The places were these products are made - the labour conditions are poor and so are wages - there is anti sweatshop movement
• Another concern with economic globalization
  
  • When economic barriers decreased, trend towards greater inequality – even if overall wealth increases
  • While absolute levels of wealth important, relative levels also important – because, wealth inequality associated with poorer than expected health measures - everyone is making a little more but the relative levels also matter between on average those who make more and those who make less- when it wider and even when people are making more overall there are poor health measures within those societies with greater inequality (for mental, physical health, happiness measures, higher crime rates, lower life expectancy and includes those who are wealthier with less equality)
  • When you open markets of economic barriers being decreased - things that happen when you do that in countries where neoliberal policies have been adopted is that there can be an increase in overall wealth but there is a greater level of inequality (those who make the most and those make the least becomes a bigger gap)
    Take home: might not be the greatest thing for everyone to make more money overall - there’s something about the ‘experience of inequality’ that has a negative impact on health…
• Neoliberal approach to public service provision has flaws
  
  • unregulated businesses may appear environmentally-friendly… - when it is actually not because they do not provide direct support and their bottom line is profit and just want to look like that to appease consumers
    Fewer, more costly recreation opportunities for less wealthy - hard to fund programs for those who do not have resources and have less access to it - no one wants to prove poverty when admitting to those programs
• Regarding ‘Golden Arches Theory’
• are exceptions now…
• absence of war does not mean absence of ‘structural violence’ – remember negative peace… - poverty, racism and things as such *