Cultural Imperialism and the Olympic Games
             Virtually since their resumption in 1896, every four years the press is filled with complaints about the intrusion of power politics into the Olympic games. David B. Kanin has commented that while we are told that international Olympic system idealizes and promotes fair play and sportsmanship and ameliorates struggle, hatred, and petty jealously through structured competition and international goodwill, the realist is that "international sport thrives on the very politics Olympic publicists decry (Kanin 1)." Nevertheless, the games are more or less 'political', than anything else. Ninety-five percent of the problems faced by IOC's president Killian involved national and international politics (Senn x). Further, it can be argued that what could be called 'cultural imperialism' has influenced and even shaped the games. Cultural imperialism at times facilitates inclusion of sporting events reflecting a host nations area of expertise or de-emphasizing sports that are popular with nations not in political favor. The following report will explore this issue up until the World War II games.
             The Olympic Games and the Olympic system have become, in some critical ways, actors on the global political stage. Senn proves this point when he states, "Rather than being an autonomous institution into which politics creep uninvited, the Games and international sport themselves play a significant role in international politics as they embody conflict and tension (Senn xii)." However, others disagree stating that they view sport as a "transnational" rather than "international" phenomenon. This suggests the competition brings together non-governmental groups and organizations independently of the governments of the world (Senn xii). This leads to the question of why Americans even got involved in the Olympic Games. Bob Fulton believes that when Pierre de Coubertan was first introducing the revive...