How Sports Influenced America’s Response to 9/11
There are certain characteristics that define the complexity of humans when compared to other animals. The ability to think critically and process emotions are just a few of those defining characteristics. September 11, 2001, and the months following offered many cases where Americans were forced to use their emotional and analytical thinking to develop a response to terrorism and the war on terror. Due to the endless ways that a person could react to such an event, it is nearly impossible to measure every individual response to 9/11. However, it is practical to measure the collective response to 9/11 from Americans. One group response that can be measured is the response from those involved as sports fans, where strong emotions after big wins or losses and data analysis from player statistics for every aspect of the game is more than common. Emotion and critical thinking were also present in the response to 9/11, where sports were able to shape the response of many American because of collective reactions from fans, who have been fed nationalistic and militaristic messages from major sports organizations.
There are many different parties involved with sports, whether it is the fans, players, coaches, or media, and each one plays a role in the messages spread by the industry. Sports have the ability to unite citizens and communities that share nothing in common other than support for the same team. This union becomes stronger when those same people gather under the roof of one stadium and await the result of an entertaining game. Because so many people are amassing in one building hoping that their team will prevail, they begin to have similar responses to events of the game. One group of researchers from Florida State University used the theory of mind and body, studies of emotion, and research of physical space to illustrate collective emotion in sports and show that neurophysiological mechanisms of sports spectators, which result in similar behavior and empathy from fan to fan because of mirror neurons (Hyun-Woo, Young Do, Newman, & Yukyoum, 2013). This is significant because it shows how there are physical processes in the bodies of spectators that influence their responses to sports. Not only are fans responding to the events that occur on the field or court, they are also responding to the response of their comrades. The reaction spreads from section to section of the stadium, then from the stadium to the fans watching at home, and those fans could possibly spread the reaction to those who couldn’t watch the game for themselves. This relay of a response from the stadium to homes across America shows how easily sports can transmit a message across the country and encourage a large sample of people to develop similar reactions.
Ken Rosenthal of Sporting News wrote about this phenomenon, when his article about the 2001 New York Mets team after 9/11 showed that the Mets were playing to help the city deal with its strenuous effort to return to normalcy. He also discussed how strong the fans’ emotions were in response to the team’s play and their efforts to seek physical and mental relief, illustrated by over 40,000 people chanting “USA!” (2001) This begins to illustrate how one sport made an entire city feel like there was a positive response to 9/11. If thousands were attending a concert by the local orchestra after 9/11, is it likely that that the audience would break out into “USA” chants following the solo from the pianist? Probably not, and this is l because sports have a different influence on their supporters. Sports require fans to get involved with cheering, chanting, and energy that makes the spectators a part of the team and the effort to win. They are also encouraged to respond to the messages that are displayed throughout a sporting event. So when there is a nationalistic message played at the stadium, the fans are guided into the belief that the nation is a part of the home team that everyone wants to win, which leads to support like “USA” chants. The response to the terrorist attacks and the war on terror brings to life the assertion that sports can be a catalyst for a collective response, and in this case the fans were responding to the evils of terrorism.
The response of the fans that invoked a pro-America chant was also extremely common in sporting events following 9/11. Nationalism, a patriotic sense of one’s country being superior, was one of the most common responses to 9/11. Kyle Kusz, of the University of Rhode Island, analyzed major sports organizations to describe messages of white cultural nationalism that were advertised after 9/11. One critical event that was analyzed was the death of Pat Tillman, an NFL star who forewent a multi-million dollar contract to serve his country in the war and was unfortunately killed by friendly fire. The author discusses the media spectacle that surrounded Tillman’s death and how even though the president banned images of the coffins of deceased soldiers, the former NFL player and Army Ranger’s funeral was broadcast throughout sports broadcasting networks (2007). The country recognized a man who passed up millions of dollars to fight terrorism, which ultimately cost him his life. This strengthened the nation’s belief in the need for the United States to rise together and follow the lead of a man who recognized the importance of serving the country. Since sports organizations were the ones that had the privilege of broadcasting his funeral, including his coffin even though the President directly prohibited this, they ultimately demonstrated their ability to shape the response of Americans. This contributed immensely to the nationalistic response of Americans because it was an example of two major pieces of American society coming together, military and sports.
This nationalist relationship between sports and military can still be seen today. A good example comes from the 15th anniversary of 9/11. In one New York Times periodical on the day after the anniversary of 9/11, there was discussion of the 9/11 memorials and civil rights protests revolving around the NFL. Instead of football related footage on the small televisions throughout the stadium, there was footage of the 9/11 memorials. In recent weeks there was also nationwide discussion of the numerous protests that were occurring during the national anthem throughout the league in regards to police brutality and social injustice, in which many players decided not to stand and honor the national anthem (2016). In both instances, there is evidence of the nationalism that is harbored and advertised throughout the NFL. In the case of the memorials, the NFL reminds viewers not to forget the events of 9/11 while flags are passed out throughout the crowds, accompanied by a 100-yard American flag that embodies the entire playing field, reminding everyone of the strength of their country. The protest of the national anthem also shines light on the nationalism in the NFL by recognizing protest of the national anthem as the most opportune time for social activists to attempt to spread their message. Because sports organizations and viewers are so dedicated to honoring the country before the beginning of each event, this would get the most attention for the protestors. This nationalism has always been around, however after 9/11, honoring America and preaching unity throughout the nation has been emphasized, and this is a direct effect of the role that sports played in influencing the responses to terrorism and threat towards the nation.
Closely associated with nationalism is militarism, the idea that a country should rely on the military and do everything in its power to support and strengthen it. Following 9/11, militarism was very much involved in the attitudes of many Americans in regards to terrorism and the war in Iraq. This was partly due to the militaristic messages that were being conveyed by the National Football League that are still advertised today. In a study by University of Minnesota Professor Mia Fisher, the author used her knowledge and experience in communication studies along with critical discourse analysis of statements that were made by the NFL during certain 9/11 commemoration ceremonies throughout the ten year anniversary in order to unveil the militaristic messages that were being conveyed. For example, on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the NFL mobilized actor Robert De Niro to deliver pre and post-game speeches with extremely pro- military rhetoric such as, “In the decades since [9/11] the men and women of our armed forces have bravely sacrificed and served with vigilance to ensure our country’s safety.” This is just one example of the pro-militaristic eloquence that was used by the NFL. The response of the fans and the country reflected the militaristic rhetoric and ignored all of the controversy that had surrounded the war on terror.
This involvement of the NFL in militaristic tributes is interesting and their use of commemorations mobilized the country towards a common support of the military. The fans were fully aware of the questionable decisions and acts that were performed by the military and government in regards to 9/11 and the war on terror. However, “USA” chants were still being carried out throughout stadiums, which go to show the significance of sports and their ability to influence the response of Americans to major events like 9/11. The fans quickly grasped the militaristic concept that was being set forth and supported by the NFL. In addition to the strong message that was being produced at every game, it is important to acknowledge the similar ceremonies and tributes that were being carried out at each football game that Sunday ten years after September 11th. In an American culture that makes it difficult to escape the influence of Sunday football, the militaristic response to 9/11, even ten years later, can be partly attributed to the actions of the NFL.
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the NFL’s role in influencing America’s response is their knowledge of their ability to do so. Sports organizations fully understood the potential they possessed to help craft America’s response to terrorism. This is evident in an article written by Justin Brown of the Christian Science Monitor, in which he provides the thought processes that were occurring about when the right time to resume the major sporting events. Of course there were positions both to postpone games and immediately resume play, but the arguments that draw major attention are the ones that provide the belief that resuming play will have a mutually beneficial impact on the sports and the country. Influential people throughout the nation asserted that sports could play a role in helping the nation find a sense of normalcy in the events and provide a sense of unity to the country. The NCAA president was credited to even have said that athletic events were “insignificant” following the attacks (2014). So if the leader of a major sports organization was able to refer to the games as insignificant, one would assume that there shouldn’t be a significant debate on when the right time to resume play was because insignificant would playing or not playing would have little influence on recovering from the incident. Sports organizations were aware of the influence and resources at their disposal, and the decision to quickly resume games with incorporations of countless tributes to the country and citizens who had been impacted reflected the guidance of the country towards a militaristic, nationalistic, and unified response.
A response to an event like 9/11 is influenced by many factors. Society and culture are argued to be some of the largest of those determining factors in one’s response to such a shocking and trying circumstance. Sports and sporting events make a major contribution to our country’s culture. When you arrive in an airport, you quickly become familiar with the faces of the athletic stars of that city. When you walk the streets downtown, you learn the names of those stars that are displayed big and bold across the shoulders of young fans. And when you turn on the television, you can rarely flip past ten channels before witnessing some aspect of sports and sports culture. All of this is on the surface, but once you surpass the aesthetic appeal of sports, you arrive to the underlying influence that sports have.
Sports possess the ability to unite individuals who share nothing else in common other than support for a certain team or player. It begins with supporting the play of the team or player, but that eventually extends to what they do off the field and the messages that they convey to the public after a win or loss. One can quickly recognize that these aspects of our culture eventually display their positions on many different levels, from the game played by elite athletes, to the politics of the country they play in. These positions begin to take form in the fans and the consumers, and what developed from a play on the football field to a comment in a post game press conference eventually results in an opinion formed at home. The opinions that are formed at home rarely go without expression, and a unified message is spread from communities to states to the entire country. These messages were carefully crafted, and they extended the idea of nationalist, militaristic, unification of the country in an effort to combat the evils of terrorism. Major sports organizations are just proponents of these responses, but when they have a platform that can reach any individual within ten feet of a television, that proponent can influence the thoughts of millions, helping to create the response to 9/11 that Americans know and live today.
References
BELSON, K. (2016, September 12). Awkward Alignment Of the Flag And Football. New York Times. pp. D1-D4.
Brown, J. (2001, September 14). When should the games go on?. Christian Science Monitor. p. 12.
Fischer, M. (2014). Commemorating 9/11 NFL-Style: Insights Into America’s Culture of Militarism. Journal Of Sport & Social Issues, 38(3), 199–221. doi:10.1177/0193723513515889
Hyun-Woo, L., Young Do, K., Newman, J. I., & Yukyoum, K. (2013). Group Emotion in Spectator Sport: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Affective Qualia. Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research (1947–2900), 5(2), 53–70.
Kusz, K. W. (2007). From NASCAR Nation to Pat Tillman. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 31(1), 77–88.
Rosenthal, K. (2001). The power of emotion. Sporting News, 225(40), 48.
