Latest Category: History of Sports and Dictators

A History of Sports & Dictators, Part 4: Soviet sports propaganda

The Olympic Games Olympic Boycotts “The Match of the Century” Long before the inception of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, sports have been used to distract the masses, test foreign policies, thaw diplomatic tensions, and broadcast political and social messaging. In the modern era, authoritarian regimes have tapped into the popularity of sports within […]

A History of Sports & Dictators, Part 3: Post-WWII Soft Power

Franco’s Football: Spanish nationalism and diplomacy Brazil: Pelé and the generals Mobutu’s Zaire: Football, Pelé and ‘the Rumble in the Jungle’ General Videla and the 1978 World Cup Long before the inception of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, sports have been used to distract the masses, test foreign policies, thaw diplomatic tensions, and broadcast […]

A History of Sports & Dictators, Part 2: The Rise of Fascism

Mussolini: The “Sporting Dictator” and the 1934 FIFA World Cup The 1936 Nazi Olympics Imperial Japan’s 1940 Olympics That Never Were Long before the inception of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, sports have been used to distract the masses, test foreign policies, thaw diplomatic tensions, and broadcast political and social messaging. In the modern […]

A History of Sports and Dictators, Part 1: From Ramses II to Rome’s Bread & Circuses