http://english.aljazeera.net/sport/2010/04/2010417183527498531.html
These first two links discuss recent developments in the cricket world. The first one is connects particularly well with what we discussed in class today about imagined geographies.
"Afghanistan may pose more of a threat to South Africa's hopes of winning cricket's Twenty20 World Cup than the leading nations, Proteas captain Graeme Smith said, pointing to their "war zone" mentality."
This is in a way implying that Afghanis would be more aggressive given the country they grew up in. This assumption is further implied later in the article.
"It's going to be nerve-wracking playing them. I read their opener (Karim Sadiq) said he was not scared of facing Dale Steyn and I wouldn't be either if I grew up in a war zone. That's the thing, they have no fear and they have nothing to lose, which makes them dangerous."
The second link is about a bombing that occurred outside an Indian Primer League stadium. It is currently unknown who was behind the bombings. This is not the first time the sport has been a target for attacks. "Pakistan lost co-host rights for the World Cup a year ago after terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team convoy in Lahore, killing six police officers and a driver. Sports venues in India have faced tight security amid fears that Islamist radical groups may target them, with last year's IPL being held in South Africa."
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/egypt-and-algeria-brace-for-match-of-hate-sequel/
This links to a blog about the violence before an Algeria-Egyptian soccer match. Part of this violence was due to the last game played between the countries in 1989, which cause an extreme amount of violence. One Egyptian player even compared it to the war against Israel in 1973. The second game, the game that the article was blogging about, had become known as a "match of hate."
And, of course:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gfD134ED54&feature=related
It is clear the sports arenas are not spared from violence or political tensions. Is this simply because of the nature of sports, and their fans? Or do these international sporting events take on a boarder meaning? These players in a way represent their country. Going to the example of the "Miracle on Ice," the hockey players had nothing to do with the situation with the Soviets in Afghanistan, but that did not prevent the game from taking on a symbolic meaning. (Does anyone who has seen the movie "Miracle" remember the "Soviets: Get the puck out of Afghanistan" banner?)
It seems that these internationally-competing sports teams cannot escape political tensions or assumptions that correspond to their country. In this way, sports teams can play an interesting role in International Relations.
Also: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/04/13/lebanons_soccer_wars
ReplyDeleteAlso, a war between El Salvador and Honduras was dubbed the 'Football' or 'Soccer' war. More here: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/elsalvador.htm
Great comment, there's many examples here! While the Olympics were originally (as in, Ancient Greece) supposed to be a break in war and promote good will, international sports are also areas in which international rivalries are played out.
This is a really interesting example of international relations that exemplifies what we have been discussing about individuals who become actors based on their ideas of the “self” and their relationship to historical events. Deep-seated, long-running conflicts between nations can fester within the minds and hearts of both nations’ populations. Through practice and observations, these tensions can be transferred to later generations who may have no immediate contact with the initial conflict. Thus, this generation will grow up with this hostility and ill will, which will reflect on their image of themselves. Members of this generation will then immediately identify individuals from the other state as fundamentally opposed to them, even in something as trivial as a sports match. (I use trivial here, not to make light of sports, but to show that sports are not as grave as a war in which many people are killed violently each day).
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