Offensive Lines: Sport-State Synergy in an Era of Perpetual War

Although relationships between professional sport and the United States military are not new, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a system emerged in which sport culture moved beyond its customary role as an ideological support to the state. In this new configuration, organization...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cultural studies, critical methodologies critical methodologies, 2008-11, Vol.8 (4), p.527-539
Main Author: King, Samantha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Armed Forces
Associations
Bush Administration
Client relationships
Cultural values
Elections
Everyday life
Football
Ideology
Management
Metaphor
Militarism
Militarization
Nationalism
Political culture
Political life
Presidential elections
Professional Sports
Race
September 11 terrorist attacks-2001
Soccer
Sports
Sports fans
State-society relations
Terrorism
U.S.A
United States of America
Voters
War
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Summary:Although relationships between professional sport and the United States military are not new, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a system emerged in which sport culture moved beyond its customary role as an ideological support to the state. In this new configuration, organizations like the National Football League (NFL) integrated Bush administration policy into their business strategy, and the Bush administration built an audience for its military ventures through an association with a brand that attracts more fans each week than a presidential election draws voters once every 4 years. Drawing on discourse surrounding the use of military metaphors in sports commentary, Pat Tillman's death, and NFL Kickoff celebrations, I argue that there is an intensified depth and mutuality to the sport-war nexus, a shift that is indicative of the militarization of everyday life and, simultaneously, of the sportification of political life, in the contemporary United States.
ISSN:1532-7086
1552-356X
DOI:10.1177/1532708608321575