The Olympics
The Politics of International Sports
Overview
In this unit, we will evaluate the role of sports in politics (and likewise, the important aspects of politics in sporting events). The modern Olympic festivals will be the central focus of this unit, however, we will discuss numerous other domestic and international situations in which politics and sports are intertwined. In addition to nightly reading assignments for homework, an exam at the end of the unit will be used as a traditional form of assessment.
Essential questions
1) What are the political origins of the modern Olympic games?
2) How have various Olympic festivals been influenced by politics?
3) How have various Olympic festivals represented the international politics of that
historical time period?
DATE TOPIC HOMEWORK
Tues 5 Intro to unit Guttman, Olympics intro
Wed 6 Politics of sports Guttman, Baron’s Dream
Th 7 Olympic origins none
Fri 8 Sports: US diplomacy Baker 245 - 251
Mon 11 1904: St. Louis Baker, pg. 251 - 260
Tues 12 1936: Berlin / 1948: London Rader, pg. 323 - 324
Wed 13 1968: Mexico City none
Th 14 computer lab research Baker, pg. 281 – 282
Fri 15 1980: Lake Placid, Moscow none
Mon 18 Miracle essay “Miracle on Ice”
Tues 19 Miracle essay “Miracle on Ice”
Wed 20 Miracle essay “Miracle on Ice”
Th 21 Miracle – turn in essay, notes none
Guttman, Olympics intro
1) What was the original political purposes of the games?
2) Describe some of the political symbolism of the Olympics.
3) How could Olympism be considered a new religion?
4) How has Coubertin’s vision of individual liberalism been limited?
Guttman, Baron’s Dream
1) Why was Coubertin haunted by the Franco-Prussian War?
2) Who was Thomas Arnold?
3) What is the concept of amateurism?
4) Name 2 problems in the creation of the modern games.
5) How was nationalism displayed during the first games?
Baker 245 – 251
1) How did sports fit into Mussolini’s goals for Italy?
2) What did Hitler write in Mein Kampf about sports?
3) According to Hitler, how was sports a preparation for war?
4) Who won the 1934 World Cup?
5) What new sport was popular in both Germany and Italy?
6) Who was Max Schmeling? How was he used by the Nazis?
Baker 251 – 260
1) Did other countries know about Nazi discriminations before the 1936 games? Explain your response.
2) Why did the U.S. not boycott the Olympics?
3) How did the spectacle of the ’36 games “dwarf the sports”?
4) What “dark side” of American life was exposed in the story of Jesse Owens?
5) Who won the second Louis- Schmeling fight?
Rader 323 – 324
1) Who was Harry Edwards? Why did he want to boycott the ’68 Olympics?
2) How did black athletes protest the ’68 games?
3) What other events mobilized the militancy of black athletes?
4) Explain the significance of Ali’s torch lighting in 1996.
Baker 281 – 282
1) Who won the gold medal for hockey in 1980?
2) Why was this victory such a big surprise (#1)?
3) Explain the following sentence: “In this single war on ice, Americans youths momentarily retrieved some honor and pride in the Cold War confrontation between East and West.”
Unit IV Project - Olympics
Homework throughout the unit
30 points 6 reading assignments X 5 points each
these can be collected at any time after each day
they are assigned
do them as we go along, not all at the end
Miracle on Ice
10 points Thursday, March 14th computer lab research
20 points video guide for Miracle
answer questions and participate in discussion
due at the end of class on Thursday, March 21st
20 points essay on Miracle
your reflection on the film and understanding of
the connection between sports and politics
due at the start of class on Thursday, March 21st
Unit IV _____ OUT OF 80