Introduction
Politics and economics are two areas that have affected sports in several ways and have in turn been affected. Some people have suggested that, politics, as well as economics, should not be mixed with sports and that their issues and activities should be carried out separately.
However, ideal situations where they are separated have not occurred thus politics as well as economics have been controlled and have in turn been controlled by sports. This has occurred naturally since the feeling of nationalism is connected to victories taking place in the field in some way. Among the areas that have been affected include soccer and baseball in their various levels varying from Olympics to World Cup. These effects do not only occur in US but also in other countries worldwide. (Michael, 1995)
Ways in Which Sports Has Affected And Has Been Affected By Political Situations
In Mexico, baseball has achieved much success since its team has reached up to the majors during most of its competitions. However, baseball team’s achievements have occurred without political support from its own country which discourages Mexicans from supporting it, limiting them from enjoying and appreciating sports. A major political obstacle to sports is a situation where players went on strike back in 1980 resulting in the implementation of an order that required players to be suspended. This was a big downfall for Mexican players, which was not restored even with new replacements which made so many fans lose interest in sports. Efforts by the baseball federation as well as professional leagues to uphold that game once more have not succeeded.
This has been worsened by continuous neglect and attacks from the media where television companies have shifted their focus from baseball to soccer. Political influence on baseball has extended beyond Mexico where informal arrangements have been made between baseball league of America and that of Mexico barring teams belonging to US from holding recruitment exercises in Mexico as it happens in other Latin Americas parts. This has been a result of extensive control that Mexican politics have had on US sports.
An increase in political control has been due to the high amount of revenue collected from the sale of rights to American top players. A mechanism has been enforced limiting Mexican players from joining American teams since upon joining American teams; Mexican players are not allowed back in their home country’s teams. This has hindered Mexican athletes from enjoying baseball league bonuses available in other regions which leaves them with no choice but to shift careers to other types of sports. (Michael, 1995)
Sports have also had positive effects on politics where conflicting countries have been united by sports. For example although efforts by the US to carry out successful negotiations between Iran and North Korea have failed, it has been suggested that stereotypic differences existing between the conflicting parties can be reduced by integration of sports. This integration is supposed to be part of engagement steps to bring peace between them which has worked in other instances of international politics especially during conflicts in Cold War. China has not been left behind in the issue of political involvement in sports which has affected its baseball national team called Taiwan.
This team has been ranked among best world performers in baseball having attained the fifth position and all through; this team has used the same name. However, political pressure that China’s Republic has imposed on sports organizations has made the name of this team to be changed to baseball team of Chinese Taipei. This has been due to massive achievements associated with the team where it has managed to win four champions, one bronze medal and one silver medal in matches that have taken place at baseball championships as well as Olympic Games. During the team’s first competition in Baseball Championship of Asia in 1954, it was being referred to as United Team which was later changed to Chinese Taipei due to political disagreements that took place between China and UN resulting in its expulsion from the union in 1971.
In August 2008, politics was found to flood in Beijing Olympics as flags were used as symbols during celebrations of the baseball team when it acquired victory. The importance of this victory was connected to politics more than it was connected to the baseball achievements. This is because of historical differences during cold war where Taiwan split from China. However, in Civil War, communists won which gave them the mandate to exercise their reign in China while another separate government of anti-communists reigned in Taipei. China has always wanted Taiwan to be part of it but Taiwan’s government has objected to the unification and prefers remaining as an independent government.
This has been interpreted as identity politics where China wants to take over Taiwan. The disagreement has affected the manner in which Chinese audiences identify with baseball teams belonging to Taiwan because Chinese like to be identified with victories of Taiwan team but Taiwan argues that its team has no relation with China resulting in emotional frustrations among Chinese audience.
Previously, Taiwan was taken to be part of Chinese government by the Western countries where anti-communism was to be supported without question. However, this was made impossible in 1970 when Beijing began to attract other nations due to its economic achievement which was better compared to that of Taiwan. As a result, Taiwan became overshadowed by China and could no longer be recognized by United Nations and only twenty-three nations have been left in Taiwan’s record of aid exchanges. It has also been removed from most international organization’s membership among them being UN. (Lincoln, 2005)
Currently, Taiwan is separately governed but since china does not embrace the separation it has been found that trouble between the two parties can erupt very easily. For example, in 2005, Taiwan posed threats of staying away from Beijing Olympics since it was not happy with case where Beijing wanted to change its name to a Chinese one which would mean that Taiwan belonged to China.
Though debate on the name to be used in Olympic Games by Baseball team of Taiwan is almost over, China was reported to deport a Taiwanese who supported Taiwan’s independence when he was cheering Taiwanese during an Olympic Games competition. Another influence of politics in Olympic Games occurs when Taiwan happens to win because the Taiwanese flag is viewed as a political sign that is unacceptable in China. Taiwanese national anthem is also objected and since it has to be played and the flag raised in case of Taiwan’s victory political disagreements are feared to erupt over the issue.
Therefore, to avoid these conflicts, baseball team of Taiwan is forced to celebrate their medal winners’ victory using a special kind of Olympic anthem as well as flag. The situation that occurred during Olympic Games held in Beijing emphasized the conflict about flags where Taiwanese fans were not allowed to carry with them their Olympic flags which had been agreed upon earlier by the conflicting parties and were interpreted as political influence. However, although Taiwan uses the special kind of Olympic flag as a compromise to avoid further disagreements, it still means a lot to Taiwan politics since baseball has remained one area where Taiwan gets a chance to interact with powerful nations that seized to accord it recognition. Therefore, Taiwan uses this chance to prove too powerful nations among them being Japan, China and US that it still has the same value in it. During Beijing Olympics a Taiwan commented that all they wanted was recognition by other nations. (Lincoln, 2005)
FIFA has also been accused of integrating politics in its selection of the countries to be involved in world cup games where it gives preference to political influences of different teams rather than the actual competitiveness of a team. For example, at one time, Africa was represented by Angola when other African countries like Nigeria and Senegal had made considerable achievements that were good enough to see them through World Cup. However, they were left out in the selected group despite the fact that they were comprised of some members who played in European leagues but would not be allowed at semi-finals level however they tried.
Another country faced with the same problem of political involvement in sports is Ivory Coast where it managed to defeat Cameroon at the Nations Cup which gave it a chance to get to Nations Cup Finals but could not make it to World Cup’s second round qualification. Ghana’s situation was different since it was favored and accorded achievements it had not worked for. It had registered terrible performances and in comparison to Ivory Coast, Ghana was not supposed to get the victory during Nations Cup but surprisingly it even qualified for World Cup’s second round.
All these irregularities have been a result of political influence in FIFA’s management which makes some countries to be favored as others are discriminated against depending on their relationship with FIFA. Political influence in sports is also felt at the individual African countries’ level as it has been noticed that chairpersons of soccer associations as well as sports ministers are selected with regard to political achievements.
The selection criteria do not consider whether those chosen to represent teams in football associations have sport management qualifications in terms of study or experience and positions in sports management are shared politically. This leads to other management problems and poor representation of teams since their leaders possess very little knowledge concerning sports needs. In Nigeria, political influence in representatives’ selection results in mismanagement of funds. For instance, at the time soccer team of Nigeria was competing in the World Cup, in 1998, they had not yet been paid for their 1996 competition in Olympics soccer. (Allison, 1993)
The new president of America has not been left behind in this which is depicted in his perceptions and directives on what should take place in sports. Among his list of arrangements is the proposal where he supports baseball team of Chicago in the bid that should determine the one who should hold Summer Games in 2006. President Obama has also approved efforts by US soccer team to have World Cup held in US in 2018 and if that is not achieved they will work for 2022. He refers to soccer as the sport of the world whose competition should take place in a friendly manner among all teams.
According to President Obama, the bid that was to determine the one to host Summer Games in 2006, was very important as US would get an opportunity to invite the world in the celebration of soccer dreams that are common to all. He hopes that his perceptions would influence FIFA’s decision after World Cup competitions that will be held in South Africa. Obama’s support has portrayed great political influence in sports primarily because of his popularity in the world. However, Olympics committee of Chicago has high hopes concerning Obama’s participation in the voting process which is likened to how Tony Blair assisted in efforts to get London’s victory in Olympic votes.
An exploration of how politics interact with sports was carried out to discuss Algeria’s soccer. The main objective of the discussion was to emphasize the idea where sports is taken as a uniting factor in France ever since colonialism. (Trevor, 2004)
One of the speakers noted that soccer had achieved a lot in its influence on the manner in which French interacts with Algerians bringing out a very complicated relationship between them. It was pointed out that amid considerable efforts by France to include members from different cultures in their team as well as their requirements, politicians have been found to work behind them by motivating players which has resulted in a high level of controversy. On the other hand, Algerian team was found to recruit players who were based in France secretly in 1958, in order to win during World Cup competitions. Upon realization of the secret operations, FIFA suspended Algerian Team from participating in successive matches as other teams were also warned against playing with the team.
However, this expulsion worked for the Algerians where other countries recognized the struggle they were going through in search of independence. It was at this particular time when Zidane, a soccer player who had an Algerian descent but was born in France, became very popular while he joined the national team of France without minding his originality. Zidane’s involvement in the national team of France helped unite the two countries where he scored several goals in the 1998 World Cup where France acquired victory which gave French flag an opportunity to be raised together with that of Algeria bringing a reconciliation of the two. During that competition that brought victory, Zidane was found to portray the loyalty he accorded his home country as well as to France the country he was representing in World Cup. Therefore, the soccer team of France as a whole has been commended for contributing to the unification process experienced through sports. (Robert, 1999)
Ways in Which Sports Has Affected And Has Been Affected By Economic Situations
Economic situations affect the nature of sports in both the Olympics as well as World Cup competitions. This is because their preparations require considerable large amounts of money as host countries make efforts in upgrading their stadiums in order to meet the set international standards. Sportsmen and women taking part in these competitions also need some funds for their upkeep during training as well as actual competition sessions where a lot of traveling is needed. However, in most cases this arena of sports has been found to be limited in the amount of money available for these activities which greatly affects the quality of training which is depicted in the final outcome of World cup as well as Olympic competitions.
For example, the current economic situation has left quite a number of people wondering what will happen in the next Olympics considering the economic hardships encountered during Beijing’s Olympics. It was estimated that last during Beijing’s Olympics, China spent about forty-five billion dollars. This was quite a lot considering that it was spent in sports while other areas suffered deficiencies and the citizens of China would have appreciated it more if a lesser amount was spent. However, as others argue that the amount would not be compared to the level of external publicity that came with the Olympics still it does not justify why so much money was used especially in the current situation of economic crisis all over the world. It is therefore suggested that those organizing for the next Olympic Games should employ economic considerations which will incorporate the economic crisis situation. (Alfred,1999)
The operations of preparing for the Olympics are underway and it is already known that Olympics will take place in Vancouver which is in Canada. The event organizers have promised to make it a success despite the fact that they are still struggling to get enough funding. Large amounts of taxes are expected to be accumulated during the Olympics when people from different countries will assemble, leading to great spending levels in Vancouver by citizens and visitors. It has been argued that Vancouver Olympics’ organizing committee will be among the first groups to face an economic situation like the one they are going through. Their budget requires a share of seventy-four percent of funds to be provided by private funding among them being sponsorships from domestic as well as international arenas.
Others include merchandising, contributions from the committee of international Olympics, ticketing, licensing and sale of TV rights. The remaining share of the Olympics funding will be collected from contributions by the public. The approximated amount of their budget is one point four three billion dollars and the organizers have vowed to keep it at that since the country’s economy may not accommodate a higher amount and more so they would not want to operate on debts. Their efforts have started to yield fruits since tickets are being sold at a very high rate where the amount received from ticket orders has already exceeded what was accumulated from tickets sold in during Beijing Olympics although some expected funds are yet to be received. A number of corporations have been found to provide services in other forms rather than cash, which is equally adding to the fulfillment of Olympics needs. Up to now, there has not been reported a situation where sponsors have broken their promises to fund the Olympics event.
Olympics organizers have selected a few areas on where to make cuts and the construction of ceremony plazas in which to make medal presentations is one of the areas that will be foregone. Another challenge faced by the event organizers is the fact that a lot is expected from the Olympics and members of the public are not ready to get anything less than a great experience. Therefore, all those needs have to be balanced in the budget in order to satisfy the visitors while at the same time working within the set budget. (Alfred, 1999)
A new project that was not previously in the budget came up recently where condominiums are to be constructed in which to house those athletes who will be competing during the Olympics. The entire project requires quite a large amount of funds and despite offers by Fortress investment and Millennium Development to make the necessary arrangements in order to see the work accomplished, it is still giving event organizers a hard time. When the condominiums construction idea was first brought up it appeared manageable since support had already been acquired. However, problems started to emerge when Fortress Investment which was one of the two major supporters in the construction pulled out before it was done. This was primarily because of the rise experienced in the market of real estate which made the cost of construction that was initially six hundred and three million dollars soar to seven hundred and four million dollars.
This made a big dent in the project’s budget which was to be filled in as quickly as possible and city council was the first to make contributions directed to saving the situation with contributions worth eighty million dollars. Vancouver also borrowed more funds amounting to three hundred and sixty-eight million dollars to assist in activities of completing condominiums before the deadline. It was previously planned that after the Olympics, those condos would be sold out to members of the public in order to make up for the amount that was incurred in their construction but this seems unachievable as they have used a lot more than what can be afforded by the public. World cup events have also suffered similar economic hardships which are mostly felt by host countries. More so, economic hardships are accompanied by bribery, excessive salaries for players as well as other unnecessary costs which have made Olympic Games and World Cup events ruined in terms of economics. (Susan, 2008)
Conclusion
It is therefore evident that the interaction of sports with economics and politics has resulted in great effects some of which are positive while others are negative. Positive effects occur especially when host countries enjoy a high level of external publicity which makes them better placed as investments are easily acquired in the process. Political influence is mostly found to have negative effects on sports where corruption and mismanagement of funds in most sports associations is normally due to its integration in sports. However, since it is almost impossible to separate sports from economics as well as politics, it would be appropriate if individual countries make the necessary adjustments in order to have World Cup and Olympics events to be of benefit rather than to cause negative economic effects. More so, politicians should make sure that they only influence sports positively but not negatively. (Susan, 2008)
References
Alfred E. Article on power politics and the Olympic Games: Human Kinetics, 1999 pp 7-10.
Allison L. The changing politics of sports: Manchester University Press, 1993 pp 67-70.
Robert E. Managerial economics; Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics: Wiley- Blackwell, 1999 pp 17-19.
Lincoln. The Global Politics of sport: Routledge, 2005 pp 34-38.
Michael A. The social roles of sports: Routledge, 1995 pp 45-47.
Susan B. Article on Beijing’s Games: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008 pp 2-6..
Trevor S. The commercialization of sport: Routledge, 2004 pp 88-90.