Deck 12: Sport, Politics, and Policy

Question 1

The film Invictus (2009) is about what sport and political issue from history?

A) The 1980 Moscow Olympic Games boycott that saw 66 nations decline to participate
B) The terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games in which several Israeli athletes were murdered
C) The political exploitation of the 1995 Rugby World Cup by Nelson Mandela as a means to unite blacks and whites in South Africa following the end of apartheid
D) The 'black power salute' performed by John Carlos and Tommie Smith at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games

Answer 1

C

Question 2

If John, a politician, turns his attention to hockey, it may be that he is making a statement intended to do what?

A) Highlight which team he supports in order to establish a specific civic identity
B) Receive perks including free tickets and merchandise from a specific team
C) Associate themselves with a sport perceived as synonymous with Canadian values in order to obscure their backgrounds and become ordinary citizens in the eyes of others
D) Highlight how sport and politics are intertwined in case anyone might have thought the opposite

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Steven Lukes understood three different dimensions of political power. Which of the following is NOT one of those dimensions?

A) When there are visible conflicts of interest or objectives, and one group wins by getting all or much of what it wants
B) The means to set the agenda and to determine what does and does not become a focus of public discussion and decision-making
C) The influence of ideology through a social and political order is created that routinely benefits an elite minority but is simply understood as 'the way things are' and even understood as beneficial for the community as a whole
D) The means to turn one group against another and, in so doing, create a hierarchy of power and privilege that benefits one group over another

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A suitable definition of policy would be?

A) A course of action of inaction chosen by public authorities to address a given problem or interrelated set of problems.
B) Any activity related to influencing, making, and implementing collective decisions for a political community
C) The array of groups and organizations working in the interests of citizens but outside of government and for-profit sectors
D) Forms of power that seek to influence outcomes through non-coercive means, involving the 'politics of persuasion' or the 'politics of attraction'

Question 5

Canada has played host to _____ Commonwealth Games, _____ Pan American Games, _____ Summer Olympic Games and _____ Winter Olympic Games.

A) 3; 4; 2; 2
B) 2; 3; 2; 1
C) 4; 2; 1; 2
D) 4; 3; 1; 2

Question 6

A key event occurred in 1980 in the broader context of the Cold War that involved sport. What was this event?

A) The 8-game hockey Summit Series between Canada and USSR
B) The Soviet-led boycott of the Los Angeles Olympic Games
C) The US-led boycott of the Moscow Olympic Games
D) The Soviet-led boycott of the Montreal Olympic Games

Question 7

The main issues highlighted by social movements before and during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games were related to all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Indigenous rights
B) Human rights violations
C) Homelessness
D) Environmental degradation

Question 8

For Byron Peacock, the IOC is a peculiar international political actor, blending three distinct organizational identities:

A) A non-state, voluntary or civil society organization; a multinational corporation; a state-like organization
B) A multinational corporation, a state-like organization, a charity
C) A charity, a non-state, voluntary or civil society organization, a state-like organization
D) A state-like organization, a charity, a non-state, voluntary or civil society organization

Question 9

Which of the following is the best definition of civil society?

A) The array of groups and organizations working against the interest of citizens and outside government and for-profit sectors
B) The array of groups and organizations working in the interests of citizens and inside of government and for-profit sectors
C) The array of groups and organizations working against the interests of citizens but outside of government and for-profit sectors
D) The array of groups and organizations working in the interests of citizens but outside of government and for-profit sectors

Question 10

In sport, facilities and venues that are underutilized or abandoned after a sporting mega event are often called:

A) Black holes
B) White elephants
C) Red dwarfs
D) Brown groundhogs

Question 11

What a nation attempts, through sport, to define and present a particular image of the host city and country to its own citizens and to the world, it is seen as engaging in:

A) Party politics
B) Party promotions
C) Promotional politics
D) Politics of representation

Question 12

The idea that what is good for professional sport franchises and their wealthy owners is also good for the community as a whole is an excellent example of:

A) An ideology that primarily serves the interests of wealthy people
B) A self-fulfilling prophecy that challenges class inequalities
C) A social movement with a clear political agenda
D) A power dynamic that has little if any influence or relevance in society

Question 13

Due to its discriminatory apartheid policy, South Africa was banned from Olympic competition in what year?

A) 1968
B) 1964
C) 1972
D) 1976

Question 14

In the context of apartheid in South Africa, certain sport came to be associated with distinct racial identities, including all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Rugby seen as a game for whites
B) Soccer seen as a game for blacks
C) Tennis seen as a game for 'coloureds' (so-called people of mixed black and white heritage)
D) Cricket as a game for whites

Question 15

One of the key political issues related to the 2022 Men's Soccer World Cup in Qatar is:

A) Violations of LGBTQ rights
B) The dramatic distortion of public funds in the midst of a protracted economic crisis
C) Historic rapprochement between Qatar and Jordan
D) The plight of migrant labourers

Question 16

Activity relating to influencing, making and implementing collective decisions for a political community has been given what specific term?

A) Politics
B) Policy
C) Autonomy
D) Social democracy

Question 17

Along with many other civil society organizations, sports organizations are considered seedbeds of citizenship primarily because:

A) They are places where macro-political decisions are made that involve all political subject matters and impact all citizens
B) They are places where many people learn what is involved in the practice of politics
C) They are places where citizens can see their local and national politicians and learn about them and their policies
D) They are places where social movements often align with broader political agendas

Question 18

The resilient idea that sport and politics are and should remain separate spheres is called the:

A) Myth of political independence
B) Myth of autonomy
C) Sport-politics complex
D) Sport-politics formula

Question 19

The two wealthiest and most influential international sports federations are:

A) FIFA and the IAAF
B) IAAF and IOC
C) IOC and FIFA
D) IOC and UN

Question 20

One important outcome stated in the text of the public's growing awareness of corruption and abuses of power by FIFA and the IOC was:

A) The increasing abuse of gift-giving and under-the-table bribes to secure hosting opportunities
B) The increasing scepticism among IOC and FIFA officials of fair practice within their own organizations
C) The declining willingness of governments to acquiesce to their authority
D) The increasing collaboration of FIFA and the IOC with investigative journalists on these issues

Question 21

The ideas that sport can shape a variety of policy agendas and that governments can capitalize on the ideology and values that sport reinforces can best be understood through which theoretical framework?

A) Marxist
B) Structural-functionalist
C) Goal-rational action
D) Symbolic interactionist

Question 22

Nike's campaign featuring the controversial free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who led NFL players' protests against policy brutality against African-Americans was called:

A) Right to Play
B) Just Done It
C) Believe in Something
D) Kneel for Peace

Question 23

Own the Podium, Right to Play and Canadian Olympic Committee are examples of:

A) Olympic and Paralympic Sport Centres and Institutes
B) National Sport Organizations
C) International Sport Organizations
D) National Multisport Service Organizations

Question 24

Which major controversy impacted the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games?

A) A 22-nation boycott against New Zealand's participation in the Games after recently touring South Africa during apartheid
B) A 66-nation boycott against the Soviet Union's participation in the Games after recently invading Afghanistan
C) A 6-nation boycott against the USA's participation in the Games after their sustained presence in Vietnam
D) An 11-nation boycott against Canada after allowing Taiwan to compete in Montreal as an independent nation, instead of competing as part of the People's Republic of China

Question 25

As noted in the text, which of the following is NOT a 'common sense' reason for why governments invest in elite sport?

A) Elite sport promotes health
B) Elite sport enhances community cohesion and national unity
C) Elite sport enhances the positive impact of athletic role models
D) Elite sport provides nations with political leverage over others

Question 26

Which of the following sport mega events hosted in Canada was often portrayed as 'the perfect model of post-Olympic failure?

A) 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games
B) 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic Games
C) 1930 British Empire Games
D) 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games

Question 27

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics brought numerous public infrastructural mega-projects, including: the 'Canada Line' skytrain line linking downtown Vancouver to its airport; the widening of the Sea-to-Sky highway linking Vancouver and Whistler; and a new harbour-front Convention Centre. One key critique noted in the text of these developments was:

A) They each principally benefitted better-off citizens and visitors
B) As of 2020, they are still being paid for by Vancouver taxpayers
C) They were all built on unceded Indigenous territories and lands
D) Their construction was poor quality

Question 28

Most recently, what group has most strongly driven the high-performance sport agenda?

A) Corporations
B) Fans
C) Universities
D) Provincial governments

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT true of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games?

A) Canada did not win a single gold medal
B) The debt upon the city took 30 years to pay off
C) The Olympic stadium became a white elephant and has never been financially sustainable
D) The Games' failures likely caused the city's mayor Jean Drapeau to lose the subsequent mayoral election in 1978

Question 30

Canada's first hosting policy, to set parameters, constraints and guidelines on the escalating demands for federal support to sport mega event bids, was set up in what year?

A) 1978
B) 1983
C) 1986
D) 1990