Sport, Politics and the Olympics

     The 1968 Mexico City Olympics were Games of national and international turmoil and have become known for the Tlatelolco student massacre and the "black power salute." Ten days prior to the opening ceremonies, the Mexican army opened fire on a group of about 10,000 students, workers and bystanders, killing about 100, during a peaceful student rally gathered due to the government's recent violent actions (Sellers, 2012). Mexico City's selection in 1963 to host the Games five years later marked the first time in history that the Olympics would be held in a developing country and for that reason, the Mexican military was not going to let anything get in the way of them, not even the lives of its citizens (Brewster, 2010). This is because the Mexican elites hoped that the Games would help project a positive image of the country across the globe, which is an example of a political use of sport in the form of propaganda (Eitzen, 2009, 198). In other words, the ruling elite in Mexico pushed to hold this international competition because they wanted to unite the masses and shed new light on the nation as a whole.
     Six months prior to this massacre, the United States faced the assassination of African-American civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. During a time of racism in America, this murder generated additional national and international attention and activism (Sellers, 2012). Fighting for the same cause was the founder of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), Harry Edwards, a student-athlete at San Jose State University. OPHR drew national attention to the dangers black collegiate athletes faced, the lack of black collegiate coaches, and the discrimination of blacks in college towns (Murphy, 2008). Tommie Smith and John Carlos were also athletes at SJSU where they ran track and supported Edwards' project. Those two men went on to win gold and bronze, respectively, in the 200-meter sprint at the 1968 Games and while on the podium, they each raised a gloved fist during the Star Spangled Banner in attempt to silently protest treatment of blacks back home (Murphy, 2008). That gesture became known as the "black power salute" and caused the two men to lose their awards due to their disrespect to America, however years later, the men are now recognized as heroes for the bravery of their silent protest on an international stage. This event was indicative of two different types of political uses of sport including sport used as a vehicle for change and the relationship between sport and nationalism. Edwards proposed black American athletes boycott the Olympics in order to raise awareness of the racism present in the US and although this was not a realistic request, that idea inspired Smith and Carlos to carry out their action on the Olympic stage, ultimately using sports as a vehicle for change (Eitzen, 2009, 210). Due to the close relationship between sport and nationalism in which sport is used to unite a nation with pride through the militaristic pageantry, when Smith and Carlos raised their fists, the United States Olympic Committee determined their gesture as disrespectful and punished the athletes, despite their claim that the Olympics are not a political event (Murphy, 2008). 
     These two examples in sports are indicative of the inaccuracy of the claim that sport is pure and devoid of political interference. Although these are two extreme cases in which politics and sports are intertwined with negative repercussions, I believe that sports require some degree of politics in order to exist as a social organization. 

Word Count: 595

Works Cited

Brewster, C. (2010). Changing impressions of mexico for the 1968 games. Bulletin of Latin American Research, 29, 23-45.

Eitzen, D.S & Sage, G.H.  (2009).  Sociology of North American Sport.  Boulder, Paradigm Publishers: Chapter 9: 195-213.

Murphy, A. (2008). John carlos. Sports Illustrated, 109(2), 84-86.

Sellers, Susan. (2012). Remembering the XIX olympiad mexico city 1968. Horse Sport, 45(9), 42-45.