Morrissey attacks 'blustering jingoism' of Olympic Games - Guardian 6 August

[Qvist]

Ha, no, I assure you, it was not an endorsement. There are losers in the bargain who are swept under the carpet. But I won't get into that.

There always are.

I think they're useless as well, but the problem I have with recent Olympics is that the message harmonizes with the ideology of globalization a little too perfectly. The marketing going on is the same marketing we see here in the States for football and basketball; in basketball, especially, there is a concerted effort to grow the sport's popularity around the world. You may have seen a commercial for Nike or Adidas, I forget which, featuring a Chinese kid and an American kid growing up, developing as players, and then facing off in the 2032 Olympiad as fierce (but friendly) competitors. The idea is that sports solve problems governments cannot and should not be expected to solve, which is of course, at one and the same time, common sense and, at this point in human history, incredibly reckless and dangerous. But as you say, there's no reason to get too exercised (excuse the pun) about the Olympics. People will forget them by September.

Well, couldn't that more reasonably be seen as simply the expression of the basic ethos of international sports (and for that matter of the olympic games in ancient times), which is more or less friendly and mutually respectful competition beyond what political enmities that might exist? Which is a real thing after all, and a positive one. And something that was a reality long before we were blessed with marketing companies with today's capabilities. I feel this is rather something intrinsic to what international sports represents, unlike more forced attempts to mobilise them for more expansive if also laudable aims, such as fair play or anti-racism.