By Anthony Sharwood Getty. Bush administration, where he served as chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports … Sports play a giant role in contemporary society worldwide. By Juan Antonio Samaranch, President the International Olympic Committee It is often said that sport and politics are two aspects of our society that have nothing in common. A staffer from the sports-and-culture website The Ringer ... and most slyly amusing politics podcast.” Cambridge University professor David … But few of us pause to think about the larger questions of money, politics, race, sex, culture, and commercialization that surround sports everywhere. Three Times Sport And Politics Mixed, And The World Was Better For It 'Sport has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.' Sport and Politics. The study does not specifically address sports fans’ opinions about the national anthem or athletes kneeling during it as a form of political protest. At a press conference held at the United Nations in 1979, boxing great Muhammad Ali is asked about the role of politics in sports. However, for some fans, the military and “The Star-Spangled Banner” are closely linked, said one of the authors, Michael Serazio , an assistant professor of communication who teaches a course on sports, media and culture at Boston College. Sport historians and theorists have debated which political regimes in the history of the modern world have been best positioned and able to make political use of sport. From Muhammad Ali to Colin Kaepernick, professional athletes have taken political stances throughout U.S. history. Nationalism and sport are often intertwined, as sports provide a venue for symbolic competition between nations; sports competition often reflects national conflict, and in fact has often been a tool of diplomacy. Schwarzenegger’s foray into politics began with the George H.W. Yet the history of the Olympic movement has provided several examples of how they influence one another, directly or indirectly.