Definitions

Politics: ______________________________________________________________

Governments: _________________________________________________________

______________: The ability to influence people and achieve goals even in the face of opposition from others

______________: A form of power that comes with a recognized and legitimate status or office in a government, an organization, or an established set of relationships

Reasons for connections between government and sports

1.________________ the public order

2.Insure ________________ and protect human ________________

3.Maintain ________________ and ________________

4.Promote the prestige and power of a ________________, ________________, or________________

5.Promote a sense of ________________, belonging, and unity among citizens

6.Reproduce values consistent with ________________ ideologies in society

7.Increase support for ________________ leaders and government

8.Promote ________________ development

Safeguarding public order

1.What sports are ________________ or ________________

2.How sports should be organized to protect rights and well-being

3.Who has the ________________ to play sports

4.________________ sports may be played

5.Who can use ________________ facilities and when they can use them

Maintaining health and fitness

Past government support was based on beliefs that

Playing sports ________________ fitness.

Fitness ________________ health.

Good health ________________ medical costs.

Recent government support often takes into account research showing that

Illness is related to ________________ factors more than ________________ fitness.

Competitive sports have _______ benefits for productivity.

Concerns about sport performance may increase athletes’ ________________ for health care.

Promoting prestige and power

National teams bring ________________ recognition.

Local teams bring ________________ to communities. Promoting identity, belonging, and unity

Governments often use sports to promote identity and unity when constituents are ________________ or when ________________ is rapid and widespread in society.

Sports often are constructed as invented traditions to reaffirm ties to “imagined communities.”

Sport-based unity is ________________ and ________________.

Sports do not change the ________________ of divisive everyday ________________ and ________________.

Emphasizing values consistent with ________________ ideology

Sports may be used to promote the idea that success is based on discipline, loyalty, determination, and fortitude.

Sports in nations with market economies are linked to ________________ and ________________.

Using sports to promote ________________ does not work when governments lack ________________.

Increasing support for political leaders

Some former athletes use their celebrity status from sports to gain popular support.

________________ (former Minnesota Governor)

________________(Senator and Democratic Presidential hopeful in 2000 primaries)

Political leaders use sports to boost their legitimacy in the eyes of citizens.

Most citizens “see through” this strategy when leaders lack ________________.

Leaders like to be ________________ with top athletes.

Promoting economic development

Cities may use ________________ resources to bid on and host major sport events.

The stated goal is to benefit the entire city by bringing in ________________ ________________ and ________________ ________________.

Special interests usually receive the bulk of ________________ benefits from events, although officials continue to justify public sponsorship in terms of the “common economic good.”

Only rarely does an event ________________ more than a few powerful interests in a city, region or nation.

Critical issues and questions

Government involvement in sports often fosters the interests of some people _________ than others.

When government support occurs, ________________ often goes to ________________ sports.

Those who represent elite sports are organized and possess resources for effective political ________________.

Ideals underlying international sports

1.Open ________________ lines between people and leaders from many nations

2.Highlight shared ________________ among people in different ________________ and nations

3.Demonstrate that international ________________ are possible

4.Foster cultural understanding and eliminate national ________________

5.Create a model for international ________________

6.Establish working relationships that would close gaps between ________________ and ______ nations

Realities of international sports

1.Sports have ______ influence when it comes to serious ________________.

Sports do ______ affect matters of vital national interest.

Leaders do not use sports in discussions of vital national interest.

2.Sports may be useful at the level of public diplomacy.

Sports provide opportunities to ________________ and ________________. 

3.Nation states often use international sports to foster _______-interests over international peace and understanding.

4.________________ and nationalism often have been promoted in international sports.

5.Self-interests __________ influenced bid processes, media coverage, and boycotts.

Nation-states, sports, and cultural ideology

Conditions and events in international sports favor the interests of powerful nations.

Sports can become tools of cultural ________________.

The participation of ________________ nations in global events usually depends on assistance from ________________ nations.

Sports can become vehicles for gaining control over popular culture worldwide.