Sports, Politics, and the Olympics

The 1968 Olympics in Mexico City occurred around the time of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. In the Civil Rights Act of 1968, legislation was passed to give African Americans equal housing. African Americans in the United States were still fighting for equality, whether it was in regards to gaining legal rights or combating the discriminatory culture of America at the time. (There was also a student massacre in Mexico right before the Olympics, which resulted in the death of numerous students that were gathered to peacefully protest the violent decisions of the government. I’m going to focus on the issues that were occurring in the United States at the time). The most famous picture from this Olympics is when Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and Peter Norman (from Australia) win the 200m race. Smith and Carlos do the “black power salute” while the US national anthem plays, and Norman wears human rights badges in his jacket to show that he supports the movement (Osmond, 2010). Many other athletes engaged in different forms of protest that year, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who did a silent protest by not even trying out for the 1968 Olympics (Abdul-Jabbar, 1983). The International Olympic Committee was not happy with the response of the African American athletes, and the committee claimed that it was a domestic political statement inappropriately made at an international affair (Osmond, 2010). Smith and Carlos were expelled from the Olympic Games that year, and when they returned to the United States they were criticized and threatened for their actions, with their families even receiving death threats. Peter Norman was also unwelcomed when he returned to Australia, where he was ostracized by social media for his decision to sympathize with the protest of his competitors.

Sage and Eitzen identify the 1968 Olympics as the “most dramatic” example of using sport as a vehicle of change in society (Eitzen, 2009). While the three athletes previously mentioned were met with ostracization and criticism, the demonstration at the medaling of the 200m race as well as the silent protests of numerous athletes who refused to participate in the Olympics that year raised awareness of human rights. The statement Peter Norman made by wearing human rights badges even though he was not an African American reflected the widespread reach of  the 1968 protests. Although Australia did not give Norman another chance to participate in the Olympics again, there were those who sympathized with African Americans and supported the human rights movement. The efforts of Abdul-Jabbar and other athletes who refused to participate in the Olympics reflected the magnitude and importance of this issue. The Olympics were such a great opportunity to represent one’s country, and they were also an opportunity for fame and fortune. The athletes’ willingness to give that up for this movement reflected just how important it was to them.

Society cannot help but have its values reflected in sports, and controversies in politics are often a result of people in power having different values (eg. Hitler valuing a “perfect race” over human lives). Eitzen and Sage give many examples of how sport is used positively or negatively to further a political viewpoint or how it is used as a vehicle for political advancement. Not only does sport unite people and somewhat “distract” them from their own economic woes, but it is also a propaganda vehicle (Eitzen, 2009). One of the reasons why it is such a good medium for spreading awareness or change is because it is so universal. In my opinion, sport is like a universal language that facilitates communication between many nations. In 1968, sport was used in a way similar to workers in a union striking for better rights. Because the Olympics and sports are something that we as humanity seem to value, it serves as a vehicle for politics to use. Also, because it is now intertwined so closely with economics, and so much of politics involves money, sports will always be influenced by politics.

Abdul-Jabbar. (1983). In Peter Knobler (Ed.), Giant steps Bantam Books.

Eitzen, D.S & Sage, G.H.  (2009).  Sociology of North American Sport.  Boulder, Paradigm Publishers: Chapter 9: 195-213.

Osmond, G. (2010). Photographs, Materiality and Sport History: Peter Norman and the 1968 Mexico City Black Power Salute. Journal Of Sport History, (1), 119.