Sport, Politics, & the Olympics

Sports have always played a role in politics, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse.  The Olympic games especially, because the host country has all of the power and wants to promote their country accordingly to the rest of the world.  The 1936 Olympic Games, hosted by Berlin Germany were was a great example of politics overtaking sports, as these games were at the forefront of the Nazi movement.  One of men put in charge of organizing the Berlin Games was under command of Hitler, so his ideologies were not the best for sport in general, but they were what Hitler wanted.  For example, this man exclaimed that the games were a great way to promote sport with the German youth, but he also stated that sports were a "way to weed out the weak, Jewish, and other undesirables".  Although Hitler had many plans to ban Blacks, Jews and "undesirables" from competing, the rest of the world came together and made it clear that everyone should be allowed to compete, no matter where the games are held.  This notion by Hitler seems to be a foreshadowing of the next ten years for Germany and the rest of Europe.  This definitely relates to the idea of a Country working to display their nationalism and beliefs onto other countries and the rest of the world in order of promoting their said beliefs.  Because of this example and many, many more, I have to disagree with the statement "Sport is pure and devoid of any political interference."  Often times sports is related to politics, and these olympic games are just one way.  Although this example shows how politics can negatively affect sports, there were many times in which politics and sports worked together for the benefit of society.  One example of this is Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers working to end segregation in the United States through introducing African American players to a White only Major League Baseball.

References:

-Powerpoint
-"August 1936." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial      Council, n.d. Web. Feb. 2014.

London Calling: The Globalization of the NFL

     The article from Grantland, called "London Calling" made many claims that the NFL was looking to expand to London in the coming years.  Although this may seem like a longshot because the NFL has called the United States 'home' since its genesis, the league has definitely been making moves to create a fanbase and generate interest in London.  For the past few years, the NFL has been playing an exhibition game at Wembley Stadium which has always been a major success.  I think it clear why the NFL has been showing interest in the city of London and working to create a fanbase there.  One, there is money in move.  There are millions of sports fans in London that are willing to follow the NFL if they have access to it.  Although soccer would still remain the most popular sport, an involvement in the NFL would bring billions of dollars in revenue through advertisements, TV deals, games, merchandise etc.  The second reason why this makes sense is because the NFL probably wants to create a more international scene.  Soccer is by far the most popular international sport and will most likely remain so for some time, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell seems to have interest in that number one spot.  If American Football ever wants to branch into an international fanbase, London is definitely the city to start in.  After London, I could imagine another expansion team in Mexico, maybe Mexico City.
     Of course, with all of the success that would be generated by a London team, there would be barriers.  Players may not want to relocate to such a distant place.  Travel times are outrageous and would definitely leave one side at a disadvantage.  I think at first, there would be struggles, but after a few years of more expansion and tweaks, the NFL could be ready to break the international barrier.


Reference: London Calling Article