When one is imagining global practices that promote proliferation a few names come to mind such as art and environmentalism. Be that as it may there is one practice arising over 3,000 years ago, originating in ancient Greece which seeks to define the very essence of globalization today and that is the Olympic Games . This historical celebration is the most well-known international sporting event that hosts thousands of athletes every four years. Comprehending the event’s history and its “recent” reinterpretation-reincarnation reveals how fragmented this once traditional occasion has become in today’s modern world. Through this essay the practice of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece will be compared and contrasted to the more resent Olympic …show more content…
According to Robertson’s own definition (found in Barker’s book), globalization refers to an intensified compression of the world and out increasing consciousness for the world (Robertson in Barker 156). The Olympics do indeed intensify the compression of the world and increase the viewer’s consciousness to a reasonable extent (Barker 156). While the Olympics are fragmented in comparison with their original version they stand true to the concept of globalization and cultural homogenization thesis which proposes that globalization of consumer capitalism involves loss of cultural diversity (Barker 161). More surpassing must be the new capitalist nature that the Olympic Games have taken through the purchasing of tickets, T-shirts, mascot dolls, DVDs, televisions and media. In a sense the global capitalism that the event accommodates combined with the overwhelming plethora of Game host countries from the Western hemisphere of the world goes to show that the Olympic Games have went from traditional to “a tool of westernization” (Barker 161) camouflaged as a celebration for humanity. The high level of fragmentation in combination with the emission of modern ideologies and incentives is the reason that the Olympics have shifted to a dynamic engine of western modernity all while repressing the …show more content…
From favorable election, high income countries, to city condition the requirements possed for the hosting of the Olympics make it practically inapplicable to every single part of the world. In short political and economic struggles dictate whether a country will host the Olympics or not. The problem of hosting is not just a non-western country phenomenon. Probably most frightening is the current unsustainability that the games generate as shown in Greece 2004. Some western countries face such a problem Greece being one of them, though the limitations there are more economic based. Consider Greece’s hosting of the Olympic Games in the year 2004. While upholding and impressive performance for the rest countries to marvel at, the games left an economic strain on Greece who was obliged support the games through the building of new infrastructure. The effects of this strain were later shown in the year 2008 when in a time of economic crisis Greece reluctantly had to borrow large loans necessary from richer nations to cover the Games cost. It is rather unlikely that Greece, the country of origins of the event, would accept a similar economic burden to host the Olympic Games
Since 776 BCE, the Olympics have been a way for people of different cultures to come together and compete in friendly competition. In 1892 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, although it had been over a thousand years since the last game it still had brought together an assortment of different religions and ethnic groups together. Many factors shaping the Olympic Games reflect the changes that have taken place in our world since the last game in 393 CE in Greece such changes include woman’s suffrage, global economy, world wars, and proving competency.
The Penn Museum site on the Olympic Games in Greece presents a well-organized home page that entices the viewer in. It compares, in the first few sentences you see, the similarities between the ancient Olympics and today’s Olympics. As a reader, I am already enticed to learn more because of the comparisons made, it feels relatable and relevant to me. It is organized into five sections, the games, the athletes, the women, the politics, and the commercialism. Bentley and Ziegler present information on the Olympic Games very differently. The information is a small paragraph within the books chapter on Greece; it does not go into any real detail but rather offers an idea of what the Olympic Games were. The paragraph simply states that the Olympics started in 776 BCE as a part of the PanHellenic festivals; it gives a short list of some events, and says that winners were heroes and it happened every four years. In contrast, the website has many details and small interesting tidbits of information that make the viewer want to read more. The first section, the games, focuses on where the games took place and some common misconceptions about the Olympics in regards to the marathon, nudity, and the Olympic flame. The next section, the athletes, discusses the athletes and amateur vs. professionals and prizes, and rewards. I learned that in anc...
In Ancient Greece they formed the Greek Olympics in the year 776 B.C in which participants participate to honor the gods and demonstrate their physical abilities. What was amazing was that those who participated were only participating in honor and not prizes. Something that they would win was the olive wreath which was basically winning the honor and recognition of the people and the gods. Comparing to the ancient time and now is that there are now commercialized, endorsements, and sponsorships for athletes to represent companies in the Olympics. However, the Olympics still hold true to the idea that it is still a place for participants compete with the best in the world for the honor (gold,silver, and bronze medal). Also, if we look at the sculpture of the Diskobolos made by Myron of Eleutherae it represented the general athlete in motion and would symbolize the ancient times athlete. But something that is different about now and the Greek ...
“It is universally accepted that 776 B.C. was the year the festival at Olympia, in honor of Zeus, became known as the Olympics, and the period of four years between celebrations became an Olympiad (Zimmerman 1984).” Yet the precise circumstances surrounding the creation of the ancient Olympics are still shrouded in mystery. Several myths encompassin...
A very popular and large sporting event that receives an extremely high volume of national media coverage is the Olympic Games. For a number of years, major stations like NBC has provided audiences with an around the clock coverage of the Games. Many other major medias similar to NBC have also done the same by devoted sections solely to the Olympic Games. The Olympics is a time where citizens come together to root for their home country, strengthening their sense of nationalism and pride and cheering for their home athletes to come out victoriously and the country as a powerhouse of the world. Organically, the games give off a sense of war like mentality because countries are competing against each other for the prize, the gold metal. As a competitive college athlete, I can relate to the feeling of pride and nationalism one get before and especially after competing and beating an opponent.
Modern Day Olympics are a huge tradition that sweeps the screens of televisions across the world. Competitors take the arena with uniforms that dawn their countries colors and designs that are meant to resemble their designated flag. For months the news is centered around the games; the preparation, the athletes, and of course the competition. Countries aren 't obsessed, they are inspired and full of pride seeing athletes from their country compete and show their incredible skill. This tradition dates back to ancient Greece where the games began. Tony Perrottet writes about the traditions of the ancient game in his book The Naked Olympics.
Sutherland, Mary, and Michael T. Wise, eds. Chronicles of the Olympics. New York, NY: D.K. Pub., 1998.
Hosting the Olympics comes with many perks for such as, prestige, the creation of new facilities and countless amounts of benefits. With so many things the Olympics has to offer, there can be numerous reasons why countries compete to be elected as the hosting country for the Olympics. The most common reason countries want to host the Olympic is because of its potential ability to improve the country’s economy significantly. With the entire world participating in the Olympics, the hosting country can market...
The Olympic Games plays a significant role in the world. The relationship between it and host countries is important to investigate for comprehending cultural studies. According to Xu and Kirby (2008), the Olympic Games has a considerable impact on the expression of national identity. For example, London applied this approach to promote its national identity. This can be discovered from the BBC video called James Bond escorts The Queen to the opening ceremony in 2012 (2012): an amiable identity is perceived by the audience through presenting corgi at Buckingham Palace. Moreover, China is no exception. There is an image about the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics, it shows a spectacular drumming performance. In addition, an article about
As such doubters of globalisation would debate that there would be larger financial division between the poor and the rich. That the money used for showing international mega-events would be better spent on social services or creating a better community in poorer areas. Some say that the money used for the events should be used for the better of the nation instead of using it for build stadiums or other advertisement. Several queries about if it is a level-playing field between nations. Furthermore if all countries have the similar kind of resources or income to allow their athletics to perform they’re greatest by training and preparing them for the sports and medal tally. There are several exploitation of work when these mega events happen in the country that is the host, relying on cheap labour of service class which make the people in poorer communities work harder to match globalisation. However there are the supporters of globalisation that are back up the international integration which allow economic development for poorer communities such as new jobs in service economy, international labour that allows individuals to move to different countries to work and also government investment in facilities which would benefit the communities. The mega-events are also showcasing the sport to the whole wide world which is the cause of promotion that will attracted tourist and people who would love to visit the country hosting the
The Olympics is a mega sport event which is presented once every four years and it has become a golden opportunity for hosts to emerge as a strong country. Hosting the Olympics is a big thing for every country and they receive worldwide attention from the preparation period until the actual event. However, hosting the Olympics comes with heavy stakes and experts tend to argue about the appropriateness for the countries to host it. There may be people who oppose with hosting the Olympics, however, the country rebranding, the economy hike and also the pride and patriotism of citizens just demonstrate the need of hosting the Olympics for the development of the country.
Sports throughout history have shown close ties and relations to values and cultures of a society. Sports and competition have adapted and grown as the world and people have grown and developed. Sports are often seen as simple consequence of the industrial revolution. The Impact of increased urbanization, better communication and transportation, as well as more time and income for specialization, all led to the creation of sports. (szymanski). In essence As the public sphere grew so did the concept of sport. (Szymanski). Even the impact colonization had on spreading sports, shows the congruence between the development of society and development of modern sports. What make sports very unique is that they always bring about a sense of culture
Most at times do not really realize how important history and its events greatly influence the way we live and what we do today! Every four years we celebrate the beginning of something that was brought up long ago, the Olympics! This great event in which, now the whole world participates in started way back in the year 776 BC. It started from people playing for the God Zeus to people playing for their country and a medal, the Olympic Games sure did evolve as the time and beliefs changed.
Introduction Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant of athletic skill and competitive spirit. They are also displays of nationalism, commerce and politics. Well-known throughout the world the games have been used to promote understanding and friendship among nations, but have also been a hotbed of political disputes and boycotts. The Olympic games started thousands of years ago and lasted over a millennium.. The symbolic power of the Games lived on after their demise, and came to life again as the modern Olympic Games being revived in the last century. Both the modern and Ancient Olympics have close similarities in there purpose and in there problems.
The Olympic Games were a vital part of Greek culture which was heavily influenced by athletics. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest presentation of athletic skill and competitive spirit. Thousands of athletes and spectators participate in this universal event. Revived in 1896, the Olympic Games had their beginnings in ancient Greece, and since then the event is very much comparable to modern Olympic events.