ers, singing the national anthem, veteran appreciation, and teams wearing army colors are just a few examples of the ways sporting events are embracing the military and the idea of American nationalism.
The general public has become used to supporting the military because of their association with their favorite sports team who routinely endorse most facets of the military. Michael Butterworth does a great job of describing the effect that military presence in sports has stating, “When coupled with the Armed Forces Sponsorship, this mythology functions within a culture of militarism to legitimize the ever-expanding presence of the military in American life” (Butterworth). Now this example has to do with high school students but can be applied to the older generation of sports fans who may not fully understand the effects of militaristic overtones that have been popularized in pro and college sports. Mixed with the idea of American Exceptionalism, sports have become a pro-military advertisement which can indirectly influence the public without anyone ever even realizing it.
The Super Bowl had over 100 million TV viewers and is basically a national holiday not even including the new college football playoff which had over 30 million views. This has brought in a new era of American Exceptionalism: almost every country in the world worships European football (soccer) and the US instead embraces American football as their sport. This gives Americans a unique identity through their individual fandom in NFL teams. With this unique identity, there’s been an overall increased sense of nationalism and patriotism. There is nothing wrong with having pride in your country but when the US military is spending trillions of dollars each year, Americans might focus on their sports team rather than where most of their tax dollars are going. If the NFL, for instance, continues their close relationship with the military, then US citizens will continue to blindly follow whatever agenda the military is pursuing through their advertisements, ceremonies and brand name.
Works Cited:
Butterworth, Michael. (2017). Football, Culture and Power. Routledge, (chapter 8), Everybody’s All-Americans.
Academic Sources
1. Jenkins, Tricia. (2013). The Militarization of American Professional Sports: How the Sports-War Intertext Influences Athletic Ritual and Sports Media. SAGE Publications, Journal of Sport and Social Issues.
2. This article talks about investigates the idea of “war-speak” which is the act of using terminology in sports thats closely related to war. This can mean phrases like “battling in the trenches” or “blitzing” which are terms used in war but have been appropriated to be modern football slang. Jenkins points out that football is not war, it is a game and should be treated as such. She goes on to talk about how after national tragedies, the military uses sports to glorify war by advertising and celebrating those in the military and ignoring the negative and often unappealing aspects that joining the military can have on a person. War is then seen by fans as more of a “sport” when instead it should be taken much more serious than it is. Jenkins also uses the term “coercive patriotism” meaning if that anyone in the American public, including players, shows disrespect or doesn't agree with the militaries actions, they will be outcasts and ridiculed for not believing in their country. This is not to say that one shouldn't have pride in their country or shouldn't care about their troops, but instead people should be aware of this occurrence and think for themselves.
3. Both the terms “war-speak” and “coercive patriotism” are examples of how after (or during) times of national crisis, Americans are persuaded to believe and trust in the militaries actions through sport even when it may be harmful to the American public.
4. This article is important to my thesis because it explains how the military is easily able to use a tragedy towards their advantage through national sporting events when it comes to recruitment and overall support even when this may be detrimental to Americans economically and individually.
1. Fischer, Mia. (2014). Commemorating 9/11 NFL-Style: Insights into America’s Culture of Militarism. SAGE Publication, Journal of Sport and Social Issues.
2. This article by Mia Fischer is an argument about how the military was empowered after the 9/11 attacks due to the American public’s submission to extra protection from the military. Fischer also states that modern day sports are simply a distraction and escape from more important matters like American foreign policy. Adding the idea of a “sport-media-military-entertainment complex” the article talks about how intertwined militarism is within sport and the media which creates an even more symbiotic relationship between the three. When militarism becomes the believed state of mind for most Americans, American democracy becomes more unstable because of the how important the involvement of the military becomes. Fischer is not calling for the end of these national celebrations but instead the separation of these events with sports.
3. The involvement of sport and military during sporting events like the 9/11 ceremony has caused the American public to silently consume and agree with militarism at a time when the American public needs to be aware and informed of what is happening around them.
4. This article is important to my thesis because it talks about how celebrations of national tragedies through big media events such as NFL games can cause the public to think they should be in a constant state of militarism and active war when that is not the case in reality.
1. Stempel, Carl. (2006). Televised Sports, Masculinist Moral Capital, and Support for the U.S. Invasion of Iraq. SAGE Publications, Journal of Sport and Social Issues.
2. This article by Carl Stempel focuses on a survey of more than 1,000 Americans which found a strong correlation between support for the US invasion of Iraq and support for televised masculine sports. This can be interpreted as those who are heavily involved with televised masculine sports also show an increase in patriotism and militaristic nationalism in America. Stempel points out that this could be due to the strong violence and fighting between two groups such as that found in the sport of football and war itself such as the Iraq war. Stempel goes on to explain how the strict-father morality (moral strength and moral control that is taught by a father to his son) can be an answer to these problems so that people rethink the comparisons between masculinity and war.
3. Based on a survey completed by more than a thousand Americans data has shown a strong correlation between televised masculine sports and support for Iraq; but this doesn't mean that changes in moral character can lead to the separation between sport and violence.
4. This article is important to my thesis because it points out how dangerous the military and sporting relationship can be because of its ability to relate actual life and death situations in war with contact sports such as football.
1. Kelly, John. (2012). Popular Culture, Sport and the “Hero”-fication of British Militarism. SAGE Publications, British Sociological Association.
2. This article shows a different perspective on militarism in sport not from the US but from the UK. Like the US, author John Kelly states that British citizens have become increasingly militarized due to the war on terror within Europe. The military, government, media and even sport have organized to support UK militarism in order to unite the nation. This has caused those who oppose wars in Iran and Afghanistan to be in the minority because those who disagree with those wars, disagree with keeping the UK safe in a time of need. This has resulted in increased security for sporting events and more ceremonies of military support throughout the sporting seasons. Kelly also speaks of the term “hero”-fication which means people turn individuals into heroes that are portrayed as perfect beings which can cause a false sense of identity within those people and a population as a whole.
3. Like the US, the UK has seen an increase in support for militarism which includes the government, military, media, and sport industry in order to unite the nation and fight against the war on terror.
4. This article is useful to my thesis because it shows that the connection between militarism and sport is not solely within the border of the US. It is happening around the world and people are being influenced by the same factors of sport; just in different countries.
1. Briley, Ron. (2017). “God Bless America.” Sport and Militarism, Contemporary Global Perspectives.
2. This article explains how patriotic symbols used during sporting events like the song “God Bless America” was one of the beginning anthems used to enact American Exceptionalism as well as to gain support for major world conflicts like World War II and the Cold War. This sense of national patriotism was a way for political and military agendas to be pushed forward in order to have as little pushback as possible from the American public. As long as the actions of the government and military were seen as patriotic to American citizens, there would be enough support to invade countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. These patriotic acts that are broadcasted at sports games every year can be seen as indirectly coercive to the general audience because people will become more militant when that may not be necessary.
3. Through sports, the government and media have found ways to manipulate the American public through patriotic symbols such as “God Bless America” to gain support for militarism which would help to push the militaries agenda forward.
4. This article helps my thesis because Briley points out how military symbols can be used for more than just thanking the troops that defend our country. They can be used to coercive and slowly militarize the population to think as a machine and not as individuals.