To see nationalism and statism in action, look no further than the scandal of yesterday’s Olympics skating competition. Pushed in the Olympics and probably doped by her government’s agents, fifteen-year-old Kamila Valieva broke down, physically and psychologically, while failing to be the Russian flag carrier she was supposed to be (Sara Germano and Thomas Hale, “Olympics chief slams coach’s ‘chilling’ treatment of Russia’s Kamila Valieva,” Financial Times, February 18, 2022).
National Olympic teams, typically financed by their national governments, do the latter’s nationalist bidding by competing ruthlessly through nationalized athletes. Such competitions are of course, from the subjects’ or citizens’ viewpoints, much preferable to war and, for the national states, might be a substitute (albeit imperfect) for, rather than a complement to, armed conflict. So there are arguments for Olympic games.
In this context, a few related hypotheses would be worth some public-choice investigations. One is that the most authoritarian states are, the worst child abusers. Since there is no place in the world where political power is strictly and effectively limited, child abuse by the state is a matter of degree. Another hypothesis is that child-abusing state rulers have political incentives to look like child protectors.
Here is a tangential idea: raise the Olympic competing age to the age where the athletes are permitted to buy tobacco or vape pens. For nationalist and statist reasons (which are converging reasons), the state, in its most cartoonish versions (say, the Russian state), has no qualm about drugging children, provided it does it itself for reasons of international prestige and internal indoctrination.
The most cartoonish versions of the state reveal phenomena that are milder and better hidden under other states.
READER COMMENTS
Craig
Feb 18 2022 at 2:00pm
Somebody puts in that much time and stumbles, saw images of her crying and I can empathize with a young 15 year old who is disappointed at finishing 4th in a competition that only values the top 3. Indeed, notwithstainding the doping, this young woman’s best years are really still in front of her and I’d suggest that she should absolutely keep her chin up.
Almost assuredly the state is involved. Indeed the state is involved in the US too. At the foundation I suspect overzealous parents; the kind that demand overachievement. Do I think she was duped into doping? She might not be at an age where she would appreciate the side effects, but a 15 year old understands the basic premise of PEDs, no?
Let’s not forget there’s not just a gold medal at stake here, there’s a genuine post-Olympics payday at stake here. An easy analogy can be made to baseball. The worst MLB player earns a min salary of $570k per year. What does the best AAA ballplayer earn by comparison? Of course the best AAA ballplayer will probably go pro, but I mean specifically mean the best AAA ballplayer without the talent to be pro. How much? If you were the best AAA ballplayer who was never going to be called up would you consider PEDs? Sure, there are health hazards. Of course I might suggest that working full time at Home Depot is probably worse for your health, no? Was Valieva not aware of this? Is she too young to understand the more likely future consequences of winning gold versus coming in fourth?
Pierre Lemieux
Feb 18 2022 at 3:17pm
Craig: Even Russian “law” sets the age of majority at 18 and one may not buy tobacco products before that age . In America, the minimum age to buy tobacco or to drink in a bar is 21 while the age of consent to go into the military (or the age of “non-consent” to be drafted) is 18. The state does seem to protect children when it is in its interests to do so; and to exploit them otherwise. (By “state interests,” I mean the common interests, including after vote-trading, of the actual rulers.)
Craig
Feb 18 2022 at 3:51pm
During the Communist era I do think the Communist nations attempted to affirmatively promote PEDs because they saw prowess in athleticism as a showcase of Communism itself. But I digress, what I am unsure of here is whether the actions attributed to state actors are attributable to the state or simply bad actors within the state. I mean, right now in TN or FL PEDs aren’t allowed but if we assume a head coach for the Vols or Gators promoted such use, well, I mean its not beyond the realm of reason such a coach might condone or look the other way in the face of such excuse. While we wouldn’t condone the coach’s actions, one would be hard press to attribute that to the ‘state’ itself.
Jose Pablo
Feb 20 2022 at 12:08pm
Why individual athletes in individual sports should participate in the Olympic games as part of a “national team”?
Why douchebags feel proud of the sport achievements of an athlete that cannot be more different from them (in body shape and in their ability to postpone gratification and fight hard for it), just because they were born in the same extension on land conquered by force long time ago?
Olympic Games are the nowadays version of Roman “Panem et circenses”. Sure, they are better than wars (do not seem to be a very good tool preventing them, in any case). But they are far worse than “celebrating individuals” and avoid providing governments with an “aura” of a legitimacy that they don’t have.
Regarding the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport, this is far from being the “monopoly” of governments. Individual athletes in multiple sport do use them.
Maybe they should be allowed. As I see it there are two aspects to that:
1.- the “not harming yourself part”. As far as the athlete is voluntarily and knowingly using drugs, this is a victimless crime. I don’t see why drugs should be banned on these grounds (the same way I don’t see why they should be banned in non-sport related activities)
2.- the “level playing field” argument. The playing field was never level to start with. After all, some athletes have access to better trainers, better training facilities, don’t have to worry about any material thing, only about training hard during endless hours …. Is that a level playing field? Going even further, why is it fair the “genetic lottery” giving you and advantage in sport, but it is unfair getting advantage thru drugs?
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