7/26 UPDATE: Please see Ray Schuck's important comments on this issue on his blog, Gettin' Iggy With It.
I hope you're in for a longer read, because I simply can't contain this post. So, settle in, won't you?
I first read about plans to host an NCAA men's basketball game on a naval carrier in a late-June issue of Sports Illustrated. Late last week came a more detailed announcement, and the only way I can think of digesting this story is to go FireJoeMorgan style (except without the wit). So, thanks to the Associated Press and ESPN, here goes:
"SAN DIEGO -- The Navy has given final approval for the Morale Entertainment Foundation to stage the Carrier Classic basketball game between North Carolina and Michigan State on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson on Veterans Day.
Because an endless loop of salutes and tributes on Veterans Day simply isn't enough. Nope, what we need is to stage a sporting event on a piece of active military hardware.
It will be the first NCAA hoops game on an active flat top.
Something tells me it won't be the last.
Rear Admiral Dennis Moynihan, the Navy's chief spokesman, and Mike Whalen, director of the Morale Entertainment Foundation, said the game on 11-11-11 on San Diego Bay will be played without cost to taxpayers and without operational issues that would adversely affect the Navy.
Here's the mission statement of the Morale Entertainment Foundation: "Morale Entertainment Foundation brings the 'Best of America' overseas to lift the spirits of our brave men and women who are fighting for our freedoms downrange." They do this by promoting "patriotism" ("the noblest passion and characteristic of a good citizen") and "troop morale." I would suggest that the noblest passion and characteristic of a good citizen is the enactment of one's right to self-rule--you know, that cute little thing we call "democracy"--but I have bigger fish to fry right now.
'We think that the game is going to be a celebration of service to all veterans. We're excited about that,' Moynihan said Friday.
Well, of course it will be, won't it? And I'm sure it won't at all feel like a propagandistic parade. Couldn't hurt the old recruiting efforts, eh Admiral?
The Carl Vinson and its sailors have attracted considerable attention since early May, when the carrier was used to bury Osama bin Laden at sea after he was killed by Navy SEALs.
You read that correctly. Not only will UNC and MSU play on an active-duty carrier, they will do so on the vessel that carried Osama bin Laden's dead body to sea. It's a good thing that President Obama refrained from sharing the pictures of bin Laden's body, lest we be tempted to do anything crass to the dead. Really, I find this kind of conflation of sport and war indefensible.
'The USS Carl Vinson is excited to host the game and we're confident we have the right precautions in hand to ensure we'll do this safely,' Moynihan said.
Safety first, of course. Um, anything about the appropriateness of using this particular ship? Nothing else available, I presume?
Because a game like this has never been played, the Navy had to thoroughly review Morale Entertainment Foundation's plans, including making sure a carrier was available, Moynihan said.
Whalen said there are a number of contingency plans in case of rain or if the Navy needs to quickly deploy the Carl Vinson, which is based at North Island Naval Air Station across the bay from downtown San Diego.
'Obviously the flight deck is where we want to play the game,' Whalen said. 'If we have to, we can go to the hangar deck.'
If the Carl Vinson has to head to sea, other options include playing the game on the USS Midway, which is now a museum berthed on the San Diego side of the bay, or at a college gym.
Whalen said he estimates it will take about 10 days to install the court and temporary stadium seating for approximately 7,000 spectators, and fewer than four days to dismantle it.
'But if the Navy says we've got to go, we'll have all our equipment off the ship in 36 hours from the time the Navy tell us they have an emergency,' said Whalen, a former Marine.
'If she needs to go, she'll go,' Moynihan said. 'We've worked carefully with Morale and we're looking forward to moving forward with this thing.'
Whalen inspected the Carl Vinson, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Enterprise during the planning process.
'Literally thousands of man hours have already gone into getting this agreement,' he said. 'Next year's Carrier Classic, I suspect, will be a lot easier.'
So, actually there are lots of alternatives to the Carl Vinson, then. Look, I don't at all endorse the idea of playing a college basketball game on any aircraft carrier, but if it's going to happen couldn't we have the decency not to be so transparently insensitive?
And, "thousands of man hours" were spent on this? Time well spent, I'm sure.
Money to hold the game will come from Morale Entertainment Foundation, corporate sponsors and private donors, Whalen said.
Hm, call me skeptical. Ok, but I'd sure like to see that list of sponsors and donors...
The game was the idea of Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis.
'On behalf of all Spartans, we appreciate the opportunity to express our appreciation to those that protect our nation on a daily basis,' Hollis said in a statement. 'This event is a celebration of the brave individuals and their families. Our hope is that the nation comes together on this day and appreciates the freedom that we enjoy and those that protect our privilege.'
On behalf of all Spartans? Really? I am certain there are many current and former members of the Michigan State University community who are indeed excited about this event. But I'm equally certain that many will be uncomfortable with it. There are, after all, thousands of Spartans who object to war and the militarization of American culture. Would Hollis ever endorse a pro-peace sporting event "on behalf of all Spartans?" How ironic, then, that an event purportedly designed to celebrate our "freedom" actually undermines the freedom of those affiliated with the unviersity to resist it. I understand, mind you, that people are still "free" to disagree with the event or even protest against it, but notice how Hollis's language situates those people as necessarily outside the borders of the Michigan State community.
North Carolina AD Dick Baddour said the game is a unique way to honor the military.
'It will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the members of our team. It will undoubtedly create memories that they will forever cherish,' Baddour said in a statement. 'I am thankful to the United States Navy and our colleagues at Michigan State for inviting us to be part of the event.'
If Hollis has discursively positioned Spartans fans to endorse this event, then Baddour has almost completely secured the full-throated endorsement of Tar Heels players. There is no way that a North Carolina player (or other team employee) can now express concerns about the circumstances of this game without immediately being seen as un-American or un-patriotic. Any such resistance would obviously damage the "memories" everyone wants to create and be insufficiently "thankful." I can almost guarantee that every player in this game--on both teams--will default to the most standard and vague statements to "support the troops." This is not active citizenship; this is passive acceptance of an ideology being imposed by the institutional structures that make college basketball what it is.
There will be no public sale of tickets. Most tickets will go to military personnel, with each school getting 750 tickets. Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are expected to be the honorary team captains.
Very well.
The game will be shown by ESPN, which also will give 40 minutes of air time to a postgame concert.
And now we complete the triangle. We need three key points here, after all, the first two of which are sport and the military. The third, of course, is the media. This is the same ESPN that brings us the "Bell Helicopter-Textron Armed Forces Bowl." The same ESPN that has turned Veterans Day into "Veterans Week." It was probably inevitable, then, to have this kind of an event, especially on the "Worldwide Leader in Sports." It is such an obvious effort to foster an identification between ESPN and the military in ways that position the network as a standard-bearer of patriotism. But it's really about public relations, isn't it? Few institutions sell militarism better than sport, and few media outlets sell sport better than ESPN. God bless America, right?
Ken Kinnear of Morale Entertainment Foundation said he is approaching acts such as the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett, Bob Seger, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and Kid Rock to see if they're interested in performing. He hopes to get between three and five acts.
'This is the most significant and largest live entertainment event that has occurred on Veterans Day and we really believe that it is worthy of some significant talent,' Kinnear said."
Significant talent? All right, then, how about Bruce Springsteen? Or Pearl Jam? R.E.M.? Lest you think I can't help the sarcasm, this is actually an extension of my larger argument. The acts I listed, of course, have all been vocal opponents of the "War on Terror" and are understood to be "liberal" (gasp!). Come to think of it, so is Don Henley, so Kinnear might want to do more homework on the Eagles. In any case, it's obvious that the 40 minutes of extra television material provided by the musical performances needs to articulate with the larger message.
So much of this is predictable enough. We will have an over-the-top opening sequence on the broadcast that is heavy on stirring music and red, white, and blue imagery. Maybe ESPN will even counter Fox Sports's "Declaration of Independence" production? The announcers will adopt solemn demeanors and offer their "thanks" and "support." Military service and military actions will be understood in simple and unambiguous terms: the United States is always noble, and its military personnel always perform valiantly and morally. Never mind that by the time of Veterans Day 2011, we will have entered the 10th year of war in Afghanistan. Never mind that the shadow of Iraq lingers over us all. Never mind that we are a war-weary, economically beleagured nation. Yet we continue to foolishly declare our gratitude for our "freedom" that has been allegedly secured through all military operations.
I will clarify that I am not denying that many in the military are indeed courageous and deserving of our praise and gratitude. Nor am I suggesting that all U.S. military ventures are unnecessary. But, unlike the Morale Entertainment Foundation, I refuse to accept the idea that "patriotism"--in this case, the most passive and propagandistic form of it--is sufficient for citizenship. If we are truly to take seriously the idea that American Armed Forces fought for our "freedoms," then we owe them so much more than the Carrier Classic.
8 comments:
I remember watching Meadowlark Lemon and his team playing on the deck of a naval ship on TV. This idea is not entirely new, entertainment on a naval vessel or military base.
Thanks for that reference. I'm guessing if it was the Harlem Globetrotters on TV this was the 1970s? I will have to look in to this.
It is true that sport/military ventures are not new. But the scope and frequency of them have intensified steadily since 9/11. Even as our collective support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have waned, the militarization of sport has been ramped up even more.
The nickname of MSU, Spartan, and its allusion to Homeric and other stories of The Trojan war may show why playing the game on an active, recognized vessel, might be a good. decision. The greek stories contrast games and glory with depictions of realistic war. The game on the Vinson is an opportunity to continue to discuss the good and bad of war, and a reminder of sacrifices made. It does not have to be a celebration. Having the game on a historical site less associated with recent history would not provide such an opportunity.
Not having the game means there is no story of war, unless there is a discussion of the historical facts and
literature associated with team nicknames like Spartan and Tarheel, or Trojan and Volunteer.
You say: "The game on the Vinson is an opportunity to continue to discuss the good and bad of war, and a reminder of sacrifices made. It does not have to be a celebration."
I couldn't disagree more. I watch American sports almost constantly, both for fun and because it is my job. In the hundreds, probably thousands, of televised events I have witnessed that make the military a central part of the narrative, I have never heard any substantive discussion about the "good and bad" of war. No, it is rather a steady drumbeat of "support the troops" and other mostly vague patriotic platitudes. Would that these events actually fostered discussion!
Moreover, although you are right that they do not HAVE to be celebrations, that is, in fact, what they are. The language from both the MSU and UNC ADs makes it clear that we can expect more of the same with the Carrier Classic.
While I really appreciate your contributions to this discussion, I think you're dead wrong about this. The bottom line is that high profile sports are not, and have not been used to foster discussion or debate. Rather, they are colorful and spectacular productions that too often can be understood as propaganda.
I suppose, Anonymous, that events like this ~could~ be used and articulated in the way that you mention, but, as Mike points out, that isn't what tends to happen, and there's nothing about this case that suggests it'll be any different.
Meanwhile, even if the event were used in the way that you mention, I think that could be done on ships other than the Carl Vinson, but use of the Vinson even for that kind of discussion is problematic because of what it now symbolizes as the ship that carried bin Laden's body. No matter what else it might signify, it can't avoid that association, and use of it is insensitive to the ways in which its usage might be significantly offensive because of what it now signifies ... at a time when the U.S. would seemingly be better served to show awareness and understanding of other nations and cultures, not blindness to them.
As long as Michigan State and North Carolina, as educational institutions, have fostored free thought and critical analysis, including opposition to recent U. S. policy in Iraq and Afganistan, then having an association with the military for a sporting event is not necessarily approval of those policies. The military is also involved in many other things then Iraq and afghanistan in America and elsewhere.
The military has the same age demographics as universities. The parents and relatives of soldiers and students are both fans of college sports and supporters of the university education mission.
It is true patriotic gesturing can be in poor taste, and potentially damaging to a society if taken too far. It is good to be cautious of some patriotic expression if it clouds. reason.
My university canceled its Division 1-A basketball game the first day of the first invasion of Iraq. Had major institutions continued to halt activities to concentrate on observing, discussing, and acting on issues concerning active war, then America may have had a different experience, may not have gone to war. Educators, religious leaders, labor, leaders, business leaders, entertainment figures, and othe civic and community leaders can prevent and stop war. I hope they do, soon, and seek to prevent future ones. Support the troops enough that there is no political or other support for entering them into conflicts not in tje interest of America's people. Strong arguments could have been made against Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Way wrong, Debbie Downer. Completely disagree with this post.. :)
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