Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 8-10-2017 12:00 AM Winter Sport Nationalism: The Canadian Olympic Press from Calgary 1988 to Vancouver 2010 Andreja Milasincic The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Kevin Wamsley The University of Western Ontario Joint Supervisor Dr. Michael Heine The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Kinesiology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Andreja Milasincic 2017 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Recommended Citation Milasincic, Andreja, "Winter Sport Nationalism: The Canadian Olympic Press from Calgary 1988 to Vancouver 2010" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4841. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4841 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ii ABSTRACT Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the Canadian government has played an increasingly significant role in influencing the direction of sport in Canada. The current Canadian high performance sport system, Own the Podium (OTP), was preceded by various attempts at establishing a competitive Canadian Olympic Team. Oftentimes, the justification for the significant distribution of money in high performance sport funding was that international victories would promote nation building and nationalism. As a result of the high priority placed on international sporting victories across the globe, Canada currently has a merit-based Olympic funding program, that exemplifies the encouraged competitiveness and win at all costs attitude existent in the high performance sport system. This dissertation examines how interpretations of nationalism represented through the media have developed throughout the past 20 years, from Calgary 1988 to Vancouver 2010. Further, the dissertation examines how the investments made in high performance sport by the Canadian government, particularly its most recent Own the Podium program contributed to a version of Canadian winter sport nationalism that helped to legitimize public spending on high performance sport. Keywords: Canada, nationalism, sport, Olympics, policy iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost to Dr. Kevin Wamsley. Thank you for your continued guidance and support over the last four years. Your knowledge and direction have contributed greatly to the successful completion of this dissertation. The time you have dedicated to helping me grow as both a researcher and scholar is greatly appreciated. To Dr. Michael Heine and Dr. Janice Forsyth. Thank you for your constructive criticism and direction, and for encouraging me to reflect on and challenge my work. I sincerely value the time and effort you have spent in supporting my journey. To my parents and Kristina, your patience, motivation, and love have meant the world to me. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables................................................................................................................... vii Chapter One: Introduction..................................................................................................1 Nations and Nationalism...........................................................................................2 Mobilizing Forms of Culture: Sport .........................................................................4 Purpose .....................................................................................................................5 Review of Literature .................................................................................................6 Methods ..................................................................................................................21 Methodology ...........................................................................................................27 Delimitations...........................................................................................................40 Limitations ..............................................................................................................40 Chapter Outline .......................................................................................................41 Endnotes .................................................................................................................42 Chapter Two: The Creation of Spectacle .........................................................................45 Recreating Canadian Nationalism ..........................................................................46 Challenges to Hegemony ........................................................................................49 Allocation of Funds in Promoting Canadian Identity .............................................53 “Winter Sport” Nationalism and Canadian Performances......................................58 The Future of “Best Ever” ......................................................................................63 The Legacy of the Spectacle in Contributing to Winter Sport Nationalism ...........65 Summary .................................................................................................................69 Endnotes .................................................................................................................70 Chapter Three: An Era of Accountability ........................................................................72 Canadian Nationalism in the Aftermath of the 1980s ............................................73 v The Dubin Inquiry ..................................................................................................77 Inclusion and Cohesion: Necessities for Nationalism ............................................80 National Pride Redefined ........................................................................................86 The Mills Report .....................................................................................................91 Narrowing the Scope ..............................................................................................92 Summary .................................................................................................................93 Endnotes .................................................................................................................94 Chapter Four: The Introduction of a New Sports Program .............................................96 2002 Salt Lake City Games ....................................................................................98 The Role of Hockey ..............................................................................................103 2002 Canadian Sport Policy and Own the Podium ...............................................105 2006 Turin Games ................................................................................................107 The Next Generation of Canadian Winter Sport Nationalism ..............................111 Summary ...............................................................................................................112 Endnotes ...............................................................................................................113 Chapter Five: Own the Podium ......................................................................................114 The Program .........................................................................................................116 Shifts in Criticism of Own the Podium.................................................................120 Winter Sport Nationalism .....................................................................................127 Athletic Excellence ...............................................................................................130 Summary ...............................................................................................................134 Endnotes ...............................................................................................................135 Chapter Six: Conclusion ................................................................................................137 Emergent Themes .................................................................................................140 Implications ..........................................................................................................146 vi Future Research ....................................................................................................151 Endnotes ...............................................................................................................153 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................154 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................160 vii LIST OF TABLES Table One: Tabulation of Articles Used in Chapter Two ................................................25 Table Two: Tabulation of Articles Used in Chapter Three ..............................................25 Table Three: Tabulation of Articles Used in Chapter Four .............................................25 Table Four: Tabulation of Articles Used in Chapter Five................................................25