AMST 300: Assignment 3

As Michael Danesi points out sports events such as the World Series, the Super Bowl,
the Stanley Cup Playoffs or the World Cup of Soccer are transformed by television coverage into
battles of Herculean proportion (Danesi 221). The players in these events turn into valiant
heroes who embody lofty human ideals. In some cases, the historical, social, and political
implications of sports events can further elevate athletes into mythical heroes in Modern
American society. For example, Jesse Owens Olympic win against Nazi Germany in 1936
turned Owens into a mythical character in American history.

At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, African American track athlete Jesse Owens won his
fourth gold medal of the Games in the 4x100 relay and his relay team set a new world record.
Jesse Owens Olympic triumph symbolized more than his athletic ability. The political and social
atmosphere of the 1936 Berlin Olympics is a significant factor in making Jesse Owens a
mythical hero in modern America (1936: Owens).

In 1931, the Olympic Committee awarded the 1936 Olympics to Berlin as a gesture of
goodwill to Germany post World War I. However, two years after the committees decision,
Adolf Hitler came into power. Hitler saw the Olympics as a way to perpetuate Nazi ideology.
Hitler heavily promoted the Olympics and his Aryan athletes superiority. As a result, there were
many groups who wished to boycott the Berlin Games, but the United States reluctantly agreed
to participate (1936: Owens).

At the games, Jesse Owens won four gold medals and was the star of the Berlin
Olympics. He equaled the world record in the 100-meter race and broke the world records in the
200-meter race and in the broad jump. Despite Owens and other African Americans Olympic
accomplishments, Nazi newspapers referred to the athletes as black auxiliaries of the United
States team. Additionally, Hitler refused to receive and congratulate any non-Aryan athlete
(1936: Owens).

Owens Olympic success represented triumph in a classic battle of good versus evil. Jesse
Owens, an African-American athlete, participating in the Olympics against predominantly white
athletes, was clearly in an adverse situation. Nazi flags, flags full of hatred, bigotry, and racism
hung all around the stadium where he participated. Despite the adversity and prejudice Owens
experienced, he triumphed.

The good versus evil plot a recycled convention in many areas of pop culture such as
movies, comics, religious stories, and myths. The good versus evil convention is universal and
can be easily manipulated to fit most situations. When good triumphs over evil, people are
comforted and their emotional response is good. The suspense of the battle, followed by the
climax, and the comforting ending of good winning is a cathartic experience many enjoy. The
popularity of Hollywood westerns, comic books, and comic book hero films demonstrate the
emotional appeal of the good versus evil convention.

The good versus evil backdrop of the 1936 Berlin Olympics provided a stage for Owens
to battle for good. The Nazi ideology holds that the Aryan race is superior, and non-Aryans
(including blacks) were the inferior race. Through his superb athletic talents, Owens discredited
the Nazi ideology and triumphed over evil.

According to Mythology Theory, pop culture gains a large part of its emotional allure
because it is based on the recycling of unconscious mythic meanings, symbols, narratives, and
spectacles (Danesi 51). What Jesse Owens superb Olympic performance symbolized for so
many people, satisfied the emotional needs of those who were fearful and angry during this time.
Owens triumph quelled many peoples fears and represented a small victory against Nazi
Germany, evil, racism, and bigotry. The unconscious symbolism of Owens success made him a
mythical hero in the eyes of many.

611 Words
 Works Cited

"1936: Owens Wins 4th Gold Medal." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 07
Apr. 2017. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/owens-wins-4th-gold-medal>.

Danesi, Marcel. Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives. Lanham, Md.: Rowman &
Littlefield, 2008.