There is a great post over at The Agon that addresses, appropriately, the many connections between war, politics, and sport. I responded to Dr. Butterworth over there, but I wanted to bring my thoughts back here as well.
Considering that our culture has acquiesced to militarism, the idea is only strengthened by the desensitization furthered by the numerous commercial interests that subtly (and not so subtly) equate sport with war.
Notably - Nike, Under Armour - blend, all too easily, sport and war. As I mentioned yesterday, within the past few weeks, Nike has created the "Pro Combat" uniform for a number of its college football-affiliated schools.
Yesterday, I mentioned that Virginia Tech happens to be one of Nike's "Pro Combat" schools and, as a part of the product rollout/promotion, Nike dropped off a rather militaristic-looking truck into one of the University's main quads.
The imposing vehicle bears the words, "Prepare for Combat." (Against who?)
It is not only surprising considering our current wars abroad, but especially considering the hauntings of the tragedy that befell VT just a few years ago. But, it's their campus, I suppose. Is this a case of the administration simply bowing to Nike? Or, are students on-board with this...and perhaps their interpretations have put those events behind them?
No comments:
Post a Comment