Deck 13: Sport and Politics Main Themes

Question 1

Success in international competition frequently serves as a mechanism by which a
country's ruling elite unites its citizens and attempts to impress the citizens of other countries.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The feminist movement popularized the slogan "The personal is political" to rebut critics who accused women of "playing politics" when they sought equal treatment and opportunity in the various sectors of their lives.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The high visibility of international sporting events has helped them become a focus for political intervention.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The Olympic Games remained free of politics until the Palestinian terrorists killed eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 games.

Question 5

Because the modern Olympic Games are motivated by the noble thought that international sports competition is primarily for the promotion of peace among nations, no country has ever been barred from participation in an Olympiad.

Question 6

Sport as an instrument of national policy is limited to the industrialized nations of the world.

Question 7

Displays at sporting events are not political because they support the status quo.

Question 8

Sport has been used as a forum to protest a number of social practices, but it was never used to protest apartheid in South Africa.

Question 9

The Olympic Games and other international games tend to promote an "us versus them" feeling among athletes, coaches, politicians, the press, and fans.

Question 10

Rituals and ceremonies commonly held in conjunction with sporting events are frequently used to promote nationalism.

Question 11

One means by which sport serves as an "opiate" is that it keeps people's attention and energy focused on sport rather than on social injustices that may exist.

Question 12

One of the proposals that the textbook authors suggest for changing the Olympic Games is to establish two permanent sites for them.

Question 13

Congress has passed legislation that subsidizes big-time college sports programs through a variety of tax breaks.

Question 14

The use of sport as a political propaganda tool has historically been carried out by

A) Communist countries.
B) the United States.
C) Western European countries.
D) All of the above
E) A and B only

Question 15

The most striking example of success in international sport and the use of sport for the accomplishment of political goals before the breakup of the communist countries was

A) West Germany.
B) East Germany.
C) Canada.
D) Sweden.

Question 16

Politicians may use sports in which of the following ways?

A) They may use their fame as athletes as an aid to getting elected to office.
B) They may use the campaign support of athletes.
C) They may use athletes to support the current social order.
D) All of the above
E) A and B only

Question 17

The persisting conflict between two Mideast countries was tragically highlighted during the Olympic Games when Palestinian terrorists killed eleven Israeli athletes.

A) 1968
B) 1984
C) 1964
D) 1972

Question 18

The linkage of sport and politics is illustrated by

A) legislation that gives professional sports unique treatment with respect to antitrust laws.
B) tax laws that give special concessions to owners of professional teams.
C) tours of American teams sponsored by the US State Department.
D) All of the above

Question 19

The very ways that the Olympic Games are organized are political. For example,

A) nations select which athletes will perform.
B) the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provides ceremonies where athletes march behind their country's flag.
C) the IOC considers political criteria in the selection of the site of an Olympic Games.
D) All of the above
E) A and B only

Question 20

The textbook authors propose several changes in the Olympic Games. Which of the following is not one of their proposals?

A) Restrict the events to competition among individuals.
B) Equalize the number of men's and women's events.
C) Make athletes represent themselves, rather than a country
D) Revise the opening ceremonies so that athletes enter the arena with other athletes in their events.

Question 21

Which of the following countries tends to receive more medals per million people in the summer Olympic Games?

A) the United States
B) Russia
C) Cuba
D) China
E) Japan

Question 22

In the London Olympics, 2012, the United States placed between in the country medal standings ranked by population.

A) first and fifth
B) twentieth and thirtieth
C) sixth and tenth
D) fortieth and fiftieth

Question 23

In the London Olympics, 2012, Canada placed between in the country medal standings ranked by population.

A) first and fifth
B) twentieth and thirtieth
C) sixth and tenth
D) fortieth and fiftieth

Question 24

Describe various characteristics that are inherent to sport that serve to guarantee a strong relationship with politics.

Question 25

Identify several political uses of sport and discuss each in detail.

Question 26

Your textbook authors identify several ways of changing the Olympic Games to bring them more in line with their original ideals and aims. Identify at least four of the proposed changes and discuss how these reforms are intended to improve the games.

Question 27

Box 13.1 describes how government tax policies serve to subsidize big-time college sports. Who benefits from this arrangement and who does not?

Question 28

A number of protests against the policies of China occurred before and during the 2008 Olympic Games. To what degree were these efforts successful?

Question 29

What are the political consequences of the globalization of sport?

Question 30

Explain the politics of the National Football League athletes' protesting racism in the United States.