It’s safe to say that we currently live in a political atmosphere that’s tense at best, and reaching an unprecedented boiling point at worst. Each headline seems to be covering a new catastrophe that spawns every few minutes, and for many, family dinners have transformed into a political minefield. All aspects of pop culture are affected by this uncertain climate, whether it’s actors speaking out for their beliefs, art and media carrying major political weight, or simply being unable to open social media without hearing what five podcasters have to say about the newly declared “War Against Whole Milk.” And sports are no exception to this phenomenon.
Despite their seemingly neutral exterior, sports are embedded in political systems because they depend on the government, community institutions, public stability and national identity. From international competitions to local school gyms, athletics do not exist in isolation from the political culture surrounding them.
Internationally speaking, sports are often leveraged as a political instrument. Although sporting bodies are generally more neutral than other large organizations, they still take political action when pressured to do so. Take the 2024 Summer Olympics, for example, when the International Olympic Committee banned Russia from competing due to their aggressive actions against Ukraine. In this instance, an athletic punishment functioned similarly to economic or diplomatic sanctions, using the large platform of the Olympics to send a clear message about imperial aggression.
In a similar vein, popular sports rivalries tend to mirror ongoing international tensions. India and Pakistan’s longstanding cricket feud correlates with the disputes they have been having since their partition, while England and Ireland share a soccer rivalry that reflects resentment regarding the former’s colonial rule and exploitation over the latter.
In this manner, international matches often become outlets for unresolved political dissatisfaction. When an Irish fan celebrates a victory against their English rivals, they are not only supporting their national team, but indirectly commenting on tensions sowed from past colonization and economic subjugation. While sports cannot (and should not) be the only tool used to gauge political relations, they can be scrutinized for the implications they bear.
Athletes inevitably gain political reach due to their visibility and fame, and often use their public platform to voice their beliefs. Just recently, Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was faced with an $11,000 fine from the NFL for writing “Stop the Genocide” on his eye paint. And using large sporting events as an opportunity to share important messages isn’t a recent development. In fact, the image of sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists at the 1968 Olympic games in protest of discrimination against Black Americans is one of the most famous photographs to arise from the Olympics. As long as athletes have an influence on the public’s opinion, many of them will use it to take meaningful political action.
While these are all examples of the large-scale impact athletic culture carries, sports do not exist in isolation at the high school level either. At DVHS, the emphasis we place on sports and the turnout we have at games reflect our sense of spirit, engagement and shared identity. Not to mention, the standing of our teams within larger sports organizations and relationships with other schools can be seen as a testament to our character. While not political on this small of a scale, high school sports carry with them a large social aspect, and subsequently, assess our strength as a community.
Sports can feel like one of the few spaces where we can escape the chaos of daily life to find unity and entertainment, so the desire to treat them as neutral is understandable. However, ignoring the geopolitical context they arise from means losing the ability to understand their increasingly relevant implications.
For most of us, consuming or participating in athletics is a low-stakes and accessible way to interact with others and engage with different cultures and communities. Thinking critically about these interactions is a great way to gauge the current political climate and fully understand our state of affairs. This doesn’t mean we have to attend games as a radical act of revolution or represent our favorite political party when running onto the field, but we should make an effort to stay informed and take the time to consider the bigger picture when engaging in athletic culture.
