Sports are inherently political, but Trump opened the door wide for the right wing to impose its own politics onto sports. His bombastic rhetoric inspired the right-wing media and athletes to embrace hateful politics that undermine the idea of sports as pure entertainment and escapism.
Cultural globalization is assumed to have a similar effect to education on sport nationalism; that is, more cosmopolitan countries are less nationalistic in general.
History of Athletics in the U.S.
Athletics are contests in which athletes compete in a variety of running, jumping, throwing, and other events to see who can complete an event the fastest. The first organized athletics competitions can be traced back 2,000 years to ancient Greece, where running was one of the headline events of the Olympics.
By the mid-1800s, interscholastic sports were booming in America. Many high schools incorporated sport into their physical education curriculum and instituted rigorous academic standards for their teams. Educational reformers brought student sports under their regulatory control, not just to end reputed abuses but also because they believed that athletics were a valuable part of the school experience.
Colleges were not far behind, and their models and lessons spread across the country. Harvard’s hiring of Bill Reid as a well-paid, full-time football coach in 1901 marked a significant escalation in the professionalization of college coaches. Walter Camp, who led Yale football from 1907 until his death in 1940, perfected the method of controlling a college athletic program and its finances with little or no input from students or faculty.
Professional team sports grew in popularity after World War I and now occupy a prominent place in the American sporting landscape, with Major League Baseball (MLB), National Football League (NFL), NBA, and NHL attracting the biggest audiences. The success of these sports has spawned many spinoffs, such as minor league baseball and arena football.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the temporary suspension of most team sports and the cancellation of many major events, but these have now all returned. Section 4: The Power to Promote explores how these popular sports serve as a vehicle for cultural and political messages, including the way President Roosevelt “green lighted” professional baseball to lift morale in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Throughout the exhibition you will be immersed in the lore of America’s great sporting institutions, and learn how they evolved through the stories of their most colorful characters, titanic rivalries, and dramatic confrontations. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just curious about the rich history of American sports, you will discover how these games reflect—and spur toward—the political conflicts that define our nation.
The American Athlete
Long before Colin Kaepernick knelt for the National Anthem, athletes across all sports used the massive platform they lived on to change the world. They did it in a variety of ways. From giving back to their communities to donating money to charity, these athletes put in the work off the field and helped make a difference in our society.
Almost every American track and field fan knows the name Jesse Owens. His performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics crushed Adolf Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy, and his three world records in less than an hour became known as “the greatest 45 minutes in sports history.” Owens was the child of a sharecropper, and his success is part of American cultural memory.
Another iconic athlete was Jim Thorpe, a Native American who thrilled crowds in Stockholm with his performance in the pentathlon. The event required the winner to complete four events: the shot put, long jump and javelin, as well as a 400m and 800m race. Thorpe was the first American to win two Olympic gold medals, and his fame grew so great that the Pennsylvania town of Mauch Chunk changed its name to honor him.
Olympic gold medalist Christian Coleman is a sprinter who is a two-time world champion. He was born into a family that loved sports and was always encouraged to pursue his dreams. Coleman also spent time volunteering for local charities and schools.
Dave Wottle, a middle-distance runner who competed in the 1972 Munich Olympics, is famous for wearing a golf cap while running. His unique style eventually became his trademark. He later wrote a book about his career and became a motivational speaker.
The reimagined SportsNation will debut on January 11, exclusively on ESPN+. Ashley Brewer, Taylor Twellman and Treavor Scales will host the new version of the show that takes its best aspects from the original and reimagines them for the digital platform.
In addition to the latest sports news, the program will highlight community heroes who are making a difference in their areas. It will also focus on the latest trends and technology in the sports and physical activity industry. As the official magazine of SAPCA, SportsNation is the single, authoritative voice for the provision, delivery, maintenance and management of sports and physical activity facilities.
SportsNation
The popular sports program focuses on the day’s biggest news and smaller stories. It also features online polls to show viewers opinion as well as entertaining on air graphics and charts. It’s one of ESPN’s best programs and has a great host Michelle Beadle who is quite beautiful as well. Also featured is the very knowledgeable and up to date Max Kellerman.
Sports are more than just games; they’re a powerful way to reach out to people and share the love of Jesus Christ. From the beginnings of organized baseball to today’s WNBA, MLB and NFL, athletes have used their platform to make a difference in the world around them. They’ve pushed the boundaries of equality and justice, and inspired us to do the same.
There are few things more exciting than watching a great athlete perform their craft. These world-class performers put in the blood, sweat and tears to become the best in their field. But, despite their incredible abilities, they all have to walk away at some point. And, a few of them will leave with the ultimate glory.
From the top to the bottom of a state’s athletic scene, each book in this series takes readers beyond the wins and losses. Students will learn how sports connect to a state’s history, culture and geography.
LZ Granderson covers the intersection of sports and pop culture for The Los Angeles Times. His work explores how sports are reflected in everything from politics to music and fashion. He has also written for ESPN and The Undefeated. He’s currently co-host of ESPN LA Radio’s “Mornings with Keyshawn, LZ and Travis” and a contributor to CNN. He previously served as a co-host of ESPN TV’s “SportsNation.” He is also the author of several books, including “The Great American Sports Fan” and “Mission: Basketball.” He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. He is represented by Dan Levine of The Literary Agency.
High Noon
A modern riff on old-time morality plays, High Noon stars Gary Cooper as Marshal Will Kane, forced to defend the town of Hadleyville, New Mexico against an outlaw gang (including a young Lee Van Cleef) when the gang leader arrives at noon train. The film is a bleak depiction of the fragility of democracy, and the notion that civic responsibility requires that all citizens step forward when it comes to protecting their fellow citizens.
High Noon was a particularly political movie for its time, released at the height of McCarthyism and anti-communist hysteria. Writer Carl Foreman envisioned Hadleyville as a metaphor for Hollywood during the Red Scare, with its residents crippled by a sense of civic complacency and afraid to speak out for fear of being blacklisted. Director Howard Hawks reportedly hated the film so much that he went on to make Rio Bravo as a rebuttal.
It’s easy to see why presidents like Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton cite High Noon as among their favorite films, but the deeper suggestion of the picture is that ordinary people are often unworthy of principled representation, and will retreat into craven self-interest rather than stand up for what they believe in. In other words, Kane risked his neck for a town that wasn’t worth saving, much the same way that many Americans will ignore issues of social injustice in favor of cheap titillation.
Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the release of High Noon, this documentary from filmmaker Tim Zinneman chronicles the making of the landmark western. It features interviews with director Zinnemann, co-writer Tim Sarnecki, actor Maria Cooper (Gary Cooper’s daughter), musician Paul McCartney, Crown Prince Albert of Monaco and journalist Sally Jenkins. Also included are clips from the movie, analysis and commentary by Zinneman, Jonathan Foreman (Carl Foreman’s son), journalist Andrew Fegyveresi and film critics. It’s a fascinating look at a movie that continues to resonate decades after its release.