- Write a 3-5 paragraph introduction to your topic, providing ample background information.
- Use MLA Citation, and Link from 3-5 different reference sources on your topic
The modern Olympics seek to unite the world in a common cultural experience. However, after watching USA hockey defeat Canada on Sunday amidst chanting and heckling, it is fair to question whether or not competition fosters unity as much we say it does. The most famous Winter Olympic moment, the Miracle on Ice, was about the Cold War - not about the common good. Yet, according to the International Olympic Committee, the three values of the Olympic Movement are "excellence, respect, and friendship." According to the guy I watched the hockey game with, the only three things people really care about are gold, silver and bronze. Do not get me wrong, I love the games, but I have to consider how the Olympics are an extension of national and global politics, rather than a much needed break from them.
Today's pro-global-unity games are indeed very different from their historical roots. The "ancient games consisted of a handful of events, championed the individual over the state, and for a long time, were only open to Greeks." Today's games have a national emphasis that predisposes itself to political expression, and likely influences media coverage from the many participating nations. While we compete together in the same games, we still all get our coverage from different and often localized sources. So, what is media's role in shaping the Olympic experience for spectators around the world? If the Olympics do represent something higher than corporate sponsored athletic competition, then the evidence should be in the coverage. Do these games transcend the usual politics, do they emphasize the Olympic spirit, do we celebrate each other as often as we root for ourselves?
This blog will not follow the Winter Olympics in Vancouver from a sporting perspective, instead this blog will evaluate the coverage of key events from the angles of the competing nations' mainstream media. Does the celebratory and unifying Olympic Spirit indeed dominate headlines around the globe and "help build a better world?" If it were to, that would be the real Miracle on Ice.
Sources:
"The Olympics: Overview" ABC-CLIO World History. ID: 1266621. 2/23/2010. http://www.ancienthistory.abc-clio.com
