WBUR: Veterans Speak Out Against The Militarization Of Sports

[Sticksboi05]

While researching my book “The Heritage,” I was struck by the enormous effect the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have had on sports — how they look, how they’re packaged and how they’re sold. Before 9/11, giant flags and flyovers were reserved for the Super Bowl. Today, they are commonplace. Even the players wear camouflage jerseys. The military is omnipresent. And it’s by design.

 

The public accepts this as supporting the troops, but one group of individuals — the veterans themselves — is more skeptical. One voice stood out: William Astore's.

"They bring out a humongous flag," he says. "Military jets fly overhead, sometimes it’s a B-2 stealth bomber, sometimes it’s fighter jets."

 

http://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2018/07/20/military-sports-astore-francona

[Hersh]

Really interesting article and I agree with the idea that we need to tone it down a lot. We don't need American flags the size of a field or constant fly overs. Take all that money used at games and use it on causes that help/aid veterans. 

[TheGreatBuzz]

I thought the part about it being a recruitment tool was good.  A lot of people don't know that.  And I get what the author was saying about not liking it.  But the military needs to compete for the best and brightest.  It isn't like it was 30 years ago where the military would take warm body.  

[Hersh]

6 minutes ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

I thought the part about it being a recruitment tool was good.  A lot of people don't know that.  And I get what the author was saying about not liking it.  But the military needs to compete for the best and brightest.  It isn't like it was 30 years ago where the military would take warm body.  

 

That's a good point. Do you think any of the sports actually care about that? I tend to think they don't 

[PeterMP]

I appreciate @TheGreatBuzz's point, but I'd much rather see us move to a point that society more recognized the military as being a necessary evil than something to celebrate and now, I think we lean more towards it being something we celebrate more than any time in my life, and I think it is spreading.

 

The last 2 years the 4th of July celebrations I have gone to have turned into more of a celebration of the (current) military than a celebration of the founding of the country.  That didn't happen pre-9/11.

 

There's got to be a line somewhere between having a military that is attracting competent people (and people in the military not being social outcasts) and the military being something that needs to be celebrated on a regular basis.

 

(The other thing that annoys me is the idea that the current construct of the US military has played an important role in the maintenance or establishment of our freedoms.  While I don't want to disrespect our military and understood and appreciated the motivations behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, neither of them were really about securing my freedom and if anything, we've seen a deterioration of our freedoms associated with the general war on terror and military industrial complex (e.g. Patriot Act).  I can recognize there was logic in the war on Afghanistan (and without re-prosecuting the motivations behind the Iraq war, even Iraq) without holding they were actually important to maintaining the average American's freedom.)

[TD_washingtonredskins]

24 minutes ago, PeterMP said:

There's got to be a line somewhere between having a military that is attracting competent people (and people in the military not being social outcasts) and the military being something that needs to be celebrated on a regular basis.

 

Great post...this is where I stand specifically. Somehow, I'd like to celebrate the individuals without over-glorifying the institutions themselves. Because, regardless of how they are deployed, these men and women are making huge sacrifices. But, as you very astutely mention, the institutions themselves are more of a necessary evil than something we should boast about. 

 

Minor gripe, but this spreads into other "holidays" too...I think if you asked 10 Americans, 5 would say that Labor Day is a military-type holiday. Even Memorial Day is often used to honor those who are serving. Granted, that's much closer and relevant, but it was established to honor those who died in service...not just as a blanket "hooray for the Armed Forces" day.  

[Bang]

Our fetishizing of the military will have dire consequence. We become more and more enamored with symbolism and nationalism and not terribly concerned with what those things actually stand for.

Buzz makes a good point about recruiting, but the martialing of sports events feels too much like repetitive control. Stand. Remove hat. Feel reverence. Cheer war. Every soldier is a 'hero', every cause is just. 

rinse, repeat, do not think, react to stimuli.

 

I like the anthem being played and as far as i can remember it's been played at every sporting event since i've been watching sports. (a long time.)

But I think it is more a tradition that is sung and then is over to begin the game. Now there's the giant flag, fly-overs.. there's soldiers and airman and sailors and marines everywhere.. constant recognition during the game... and we worship it mindlessly.

Blind nationalism and adherence to symbolism and militarism leads to easier calls to war... or in our case, never ending support for a never ending war.

 

~Bang

[TheGreatBuzz]

2 hours ago, Hersh said:

 

That's a good point. Do you think any of the sports actually care about that? I tend to think they don't 

In general, probably not.  I'm sure some care more than others though.

1 hour ago, PeterMP said:

(The other thing that annoys me is the idea that the current construct of the US military has played an important role in the maintenance or establishment of our freedoms. 

I gotta disagree here.  The US military (in my opinion) is absolutely THE important role in maintaining our freedoms.  If we didn't have a military, we would all be speaking a different language.  I get your overall point though.  And the "everyone in the military is automatically a hero" thing bothers me also.  I've done some things in my career that I would consider "above and beyond" and would imagine others that have been in as long as I have also have.  I could tell stories that just hearing alone would probably keep some of you up at night.  But there is also a large portion that do little more than sit at a desk moving folders around.  That isn't to say their job isn't important.  But "hero" might be a stretch for them.  It also cheapens the real hero's.  

36 minutes ago, TD_washingtonredskins said:

Minor gripe, but this spreads into other "holidays" too...I think if you asked 10 Americans, 5 would say that Labor Day is a military-type holiday. Even Memorial Day is often used to honor those who are serving. Granted, that's much closer and relevant, but it was established to honor those who died in service...not just as a blanket "hooray for the Armed Forces" day.  

This drives me nuts.  People say Happy Memorial Day to me and I point out that I am not dead.  Or Happy Veterans day and I point out that I am still on active duty.  We have our own day.  It's called Armed Forces Day (noted not a national holiday).  I really hate when I hear other service members **** about so and so not doing something special for them on Memorial Day.  One, that day isn't for you.  Two, if that is why you joined the military, you did it for the wrong reason.  I guess I just get annoyed at people feeling entitled to some special treatment because of what they volunteered to do.  

17 minutes ago, Bang said:

Our fetishizing of the military will have dire consequence

I don't know if I would go so far as to say dire but I agree we have gone too far.  I think I have said it in other threads but I think the nation is trying to make up for the treatment of Vietnam vets and has now swung too far in the opposite direction.

[TradeTheBeal!]

I was gonna type a long post, but @Bangpretty much nailed it.

 

So I’ll just add this...I’ve had enough of the Kool-Aid, thanks.

[Bozo the kKklown]

1 hour ago, TD_washingtonredskins said:

I think if you asked 10 Americans, 5 would say that Labor Day is a military-type holiday. Even Memorial Day is often used to honor those who are serving. Granted, that's much closer and relevant, but it was established to honor those who died in service...not just as a blanket "hooray for the Armed Forces" day.  

this is not a minor gripe. I have the same issue too.

 

Labor day is not about the military. There is labor in the military but its about the American worker. ALL OF US. These holidays have gotten co-opted by those who want us to bow to the military as a time to honor them.

 

 

[Going Commando]

This is my Ciceronian take: Nations who are Imperial powers always spend a ton of effort glorifying the martial capacity that allows them to sustain their empires. I agree with the sentiment that it's vulgar.  I'm also ambivalent about the U.S. being an empire because, in becoming so, we harmed our Republic.