Article on Militarism “One of the most enduring supports of militarism is found in the world of sport” (Martin and Steuter p. 131). Popular culture normalizes militarism in various ways, even as such an integral part of American culture like sports. Sport has done many things for me in my life, including changing my view of militarism. The military uses sports to advertise to a large group of people across America, which will create a positive feeling towards the war. Sports make war seem normal to Americans when they associate it with militarism, because many Americans play sports and can relate to them, but the normalization of war also has consequences. Popular culture normalizes militarism in many ways, but the one aspect that normalizes war would be sports, through advertising and professional athletes, not only in a positive way, but also recognizing the negative side of war. When popular culture is associated with militarism, it changes the way we view war. Sports can do this in many different ways, for example ads in the Super Bowl are a massive way to get a large audience to hear a pro-war ad. After the attack on Iraq in the first Gulf War, "Super Bowl XXV was marked by a wave of nationalism, including American flag stickers on players' helmets, images of soldiers in the desert while throughout the pregame show and a halftime speech by President George HWBush, who described the Gulf War as his Super Bowl” (Martin and Steuter p.133). The military took advantage of the large audiences known across America watching the Super Bowl by using the persuasion of American pride to create a positive attitude toward the war. The ads about the army always touch me because every time I... in the middle of the newspaper... the propaganda that we show them about militarism, when we constantly see the good things that come out of war and never the negative points. Sport is not the only way to normalize war, but it is an important tool that we tend to overlook. I never noticed the propaganda that persuaded me to be pro-war until I read "Pop Culture Goes to War: Enlisting and Resisting Militarism in the War on Terror." I hope that people realize what they are exposed to so that they do not make the mistake that many have made by joining the military without worrying about the risks, because unlike sports, the consequences are more serious than losing a match and being able to go home and continue your life. Works Cited Martin, Geoff and Erin Steuter. Pop Culture Goes to War: Enlisting and Resisting Militarism in the War on Terror. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2010. Print.