National Politics Forged Through International Competition

The Olympics, being arguably the largest stage for athletics in the world, invites much crosswise country competition and national pride. Politicians may use the monumental stage for recreation to craft their own politically charged statements about their country as a whole. For my project, I examine Mexico’s history of performance in the Olympics, then observe political statements and speeches from specifically three Mexican presidents during significant political, social, economic or Olympic performance years. These political statements are recorded in academic articles, political news articles, and some YouTube videos about Mexican Olympic performance. There are three significant years in which I examine: 1968, for the extensive sociopolitical issues regarding protests against the authoritarian Mexican government, 1992, with the NAFTA agreement and the unexpected poor Mexican showing at the Barcelona games, and 2020 (2021), where most recently the government had been criticized due to budget allocation away from sports. I expect to see Mexican presidents consistently use the Olympics as a way to give a falsified narrative about the political situation of the country, allowing their own governmental issues to overcast certain Olympic victories. This will give concrete evidence as to how any government official can use recreational achievement to cast a narrative in their favor regarding a country’s social, economic, or political health. Blurb: Benjamin Underwood is a college senior planning to graduate with two degrees. One in Economics with a minor in Applied Statistics, the other in Spanish with a certificate in Portuguese. Passionate about sports, travel, and recreation, he often spends his free time playing volleyball with friends, working out at the gym, or planning a variety of trips of places he wants to visit in his future. After graduation, he plans to work at an internship for management, statistics, and linguistic experience. He is currently in the interview process for a sports facility management internship in Walt Disney World