Post: #1

I'm watching Rocky IV right now and it has my mind running in odd ways. We all know the plot of Rocky IV; Soviet boxing champ Ivan Drago wants to show he's the best in the world, kills Apollo Creed in an exhibition, Rock avenges his friend by fighting Drago in Moscow on Christmas Day (which is why I consider Rocky IV to be the best Christmas movie ever).

It has me remembering how the Soviets and the US battled in the Olympics, with such memorable moments as the Soviets wining the 1972 basketball gold medal under suspicious officiating to the Miracle on Ice in 1980.

So now I'm seeking a book recommendation that looks at the Soviet use of sports as propaganda through the Cold War. I'm more interested in the theory behind the use of sports, as opposed to chronicling specific events (like the miracle on ice).

Post: #2

Here's an out-of-print book describing their mental techniques--you can find it at your local library,

-Red Gold by Grigori Raiport: Performance Techniques of Olympic Victors or something similar
Also:
-Secrets of Soviet Sports Fitness and Training by Michael Yessis

I recall reading that sports program was really a platform to develop their citizens for war: the GTO program (Ready to Defend program) and that they saw no difference between training a cosmonaut, soldier, skater, etc. The end-goal was to bring glory to the USSR.

Also look up Scott Sonnon, he interned in Russia for six years. He doesn't have too much to say, other than, the Russians often sacrificed their athletes' health for greater performance in an event.

Lastly, Pavel Tsatsouline always has references to the Soviets as he was a Spetsnasz trainer and now in the USA teaching kettlebells. His latest book, Simple and Sinister has propaganda pics. He's a goldmine of knowledge.

Post: #3

For a look into a secondary use of sports (ie other than just propaganda) check out Spetsnaz by Viktor Suvorov. It's the pen name of a former Spetsnaz soldier and then Soviet "diplomat" (read: spy) in Western Europe, who later defected because of the supposed political situation he found himself in.

This book was a fascinating read into the making of some of the most ruthless, steel-balled special forces soldiers in the world.

http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov6/index.html

Chapter specifically about athletes (a bit dense if you start here, I recommend reading from the beginning for better clarity)
http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov6/06.html

Quote:It is often claimed that sport improves relations between countries. This is a strange argument. If it is the case, why did it not occur to anyone before the Second World War to invite German SS parachutists to their country to improve relations with the Nazis?

In the Soviet Union sport has been nationalised. That means to say that it does not serve the interests of individuals but of society as a whole. ...

...Some individuals want to be strong, handsome and attractive. That is why 'body-building' is so popular in the West. It is an occupation for individuals. In the Soviet Union it scarcely exists, because such an occupation brings no benefit to the state. Why should the state spend the nation's resources so that someone can be strong and beautiful?

...For the same reason the Soviet Union has done nothing about sport for invalids. Why should it? To make the invalids happy?

But that same state devotes colossal resources to sport which does bring benefit to the state. In the Soviet Union any sport is encouraged which: demonstrates the superiority of the Soviet system over any other system; provides the ordinary people with something to take their minds off their everyday worries; helps to strengthen the state, military and police apparatus.

The Soviet Union is ready to encourage any sport in which achievement is measured in minutes, seconds, metres, kilometres, centimetres, kilograms or grams. If an athlete shows some promise that he may run a distance a tenth of a second quicker than an American or may jump half a centimetre higher than his rival across the ocean, the state will create for such an athlete whatever conditions he needs: it will build him a personal training centre, get together a personal group of trainers, doctors, managers or scientific consultants.

...

Now for another question: why is the Soviet Army so ready to hand out military ranks to athletes, to pay them a salary and provide them with the accommodation and privileges of army officers?

The answer is: the best athletes make the best soldiers for the special forces.

Data sheet maps

Post: #4

Not familiar with books on the subject but there's a new-ish documentary called Red Army (2014). Follows soviet hockey players during the cold war and after. Psychology, propaganda, training and more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4DLvI6LehE

Post: #5

The one thing I don't like about the whole Red Army (hockey) hype is that Russia's best was playing against other countries non-professional teams.

NHL hockey players couldn't even play in the Olympics till 1998.

For how hard Russia tries and dopes for sports they are pretty bad.

Post: #6

One thing has to be understood:

Every country uses sports as propoganda.

USA is definately leagues above Soviets and Russians as well as everyone else like China or whomever in using sports as propaganda. USA has a "National" league in almost every sport implying that it is important as Olympic or World cup. USA has also several sports like baseball or their own version of football, that is played almost nowhere else just for the reason of always having a sport where USA is number one. USA is a sponge that has attracted best talent's from around the globe and made them compete as their citizens, stealin glory from smaller and poorer countries, something secluded regimes like Soviets weren't able to do. Oh, and don't forget that Rocky itself is a totaly shameless propaganda movie.

Really there is nothing that special about Soviet sports propoganda, it's Americain sports propoganda that is worth most examination and interest.

Propoganda and a platform for commercial advertisments is why sports exists. It is rather unhealthy and pointless on it's own.

In soviet times sports was actually recognized as something only government funded athlethes do for the glory of their country. Students at schools and common people were practicing "physical culture" - the art of maintaining high fitness levels and good health without excesses of driving your body to specialisation related injuries.

As soviet union disintegrated, so was the practice of phisical culture in it's former republics abandoned and it it all was renamed into sports following western example, a subtle yet phundamentally different philosophy. Phisical culture promoted a fit and healthy well rounded individual who exercises for life, not lives for exercise . Sports promotes a cruel coorporate agenda fueled competition where you get millions if you come at top or lose your health and become a loser if you don't.