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How do sport & Western Cold War memory politics serve white audiences?
Thread on CW water polo + the mid-2000s doc FREEDOM’S FURY (Quentin Tarantino & Lucy Liu) a/b the HU-USSR water polo match at 1956 OGs. @coldwarhistoryj @JournSportHist @CentralEuropean @bcesn @aseeestudies
Thread on CW water polo + the mid-2000s doc FREEDOM’S FURY (Quentin Tarantino & Lucy Liu) a/b the HU-USSR water polo match at 1956 OGs. @coldwarhistoryj @JournSportHist @CentralEuropean @bcesn @aseeestudies
They filmed re-enactments of the HU-Soviet match in ‘56.
They used US nat’l team players to film it.
They initially included the only 2 US black male team members in their filming: @GenaiKerr & Omar Amr
The filmmakers later *chose* to re-film the scenes W/O Kerr & Amr. Why?
They used US nat’l team players to film it.
They initially included the only 2 US black male team members in their filming: @GenaiKerr & Omar Amr
The filmmakers later *chose* to re-film the scenes W/O Kerr & Amr. Why?
@DrSepinwall can probably guess:
“There were no black people in the ‘56 match”
So they prioritized the white character of the match btw the HUs & Soviets over the inclusion of the only 2 Black male WP players to have ever played on the US team - whom they had already included!
“There were no black people in the ‘56 match”
So they prioritized the white character of the match btw the HUs & Soviets over the inclusion of the only 2 Black male WP players to have ever played on the US team - whom they had already included!
They actually went back and re-filmed it. To ensure the whiteness of the film & event remained intact.
Goodness.
This all from the Crossing the Lines podcast with Genai Kerr: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crossing-the-lane-lines/id1524804967?i=1000514494144
Goodness.
This all from the Crossing the Lines podcast with Genai Kerr: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crossing-the-lane-lines/id1524804967?i=1000514494144
I know people will say “well they wanted accuracy! It was a documentary! You’re a historian!”
Please. They included a number of historical inaccuracies in the documentary. They made many choices to make the documentary as palatable to post-socialist audiences as poss
Please. They included a number of historical inaccuracies in the documentary. They made many choices to make the documentary as palatable to post-socialist audiences as poss
So why maintain a “dedication” to the whiteness of the match?
Why was this a chosen priority?
Why couldn’t they have used their imagination to include 2 Black water polo players?
When 2 major American filmmakers were at the helm?
Sounds like the arguments re: Chernobyl.
Why was this a chosen priority?
Why couldn’t they have used their imagination to include 2 Black water polo players?
When 2 major American filmmakers were at the helm?
Sounds like the arguments re: Chernobyl.
I’m having a LOT of feelings about this.
The doc inspired a lot of my research. I’ve shown it in class. It doesn’t portray all of communism or Communist sport as “bad.” It humanizes ppl. I also interviewed an HU athlete-defector in it w/my colleague Toby before he died.
The doc inspired a lot of my research. I’ve shown it in class. It doesn’t portray all of communism or Communist sport as “bad.” It humanizes ppl. I also interviewed an HU athlete-defector in it w/my colleague Toby before he died.
But this is part of studying sport. And lots of our topics.
We learn about the harmful problems with things/people we admire. Sport is chock full of them.
Seeing Communist sport be refracted thru America’s white lens...well I guess I should’ve seen it coming more.
We learn about the harmful problems with things/people we admire. Sport is chock full of them.
Seeing Communist sport be refracted thru America’s white lens...well I guess I should’ve seen it coming more.
I should clarify bc:
Kerr and Amr are the only 2 Black men to play for the US National and Olympic teams. EVER.
More on it in this fab ep from Crossing the Lane Lines, a wonderful podcast about the Black experience & history in aquatics: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crossing-the-lane-lines/id1524804967?i=1000514494144
Kerr and Amr are the only 2 Black men to play for the US National and Olympic teams. EVER.
More on it in this fab ep from Crossing the Lane Lines, a wonderful podcast about the Black experience & history in aquatics: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crossing-the-lane-lines/id1524804967?i=1000514494144
