Sportswashing in the Cold War: 1950s American golf

Abstract

The conclusion of the Second World War brought immense power to the United States of America. The Cold War was the ideological conflict between capitalism and communism; the United States versus the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Both nations were actively seeking to impose their own social and political practices on developing and recovering countries. Propagandic advertisement of each society was one of the means by which both the USA and the USSR tried to sway other governments. In America, the sport of golf served as a representation and reflection of society as a whole. However, the United States did not effectively use the institution of American golf to successfully sportswash its national image during the Cold War. Literature surrounding golf and the Cold War in the 1950s seldom intersect. It is at this crossroads between sports history and political/diplomatic history that this project finds academic relevance. Many have created works devoted to telling the story of professional and leisure golf during the 1950s but none other than Catherine Lewis come close to wedding golf and the Cold War. There is research done about Black golfers, women golfers, white male golfers, and the country club, but none seek to achieve what this project does. The United States failed to utilize organizations such as the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour and the United Golfers Association to enhance its national image for political reasons. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was impressed by President Eisenhower's passion for golf. So much so that he picked up the sport himself. However, the connection made no lasting impact for the United States' Cold War efforts. The strict adherence to rigid social norms, including sexism and racism, prevented the United States from utilizing the luxuries of their society to sell capitalism on a global scale. Analysis of primary sources such as interviews, tournament records, government documents, speeches, letters, magazine articles, and advertisements served as crucial materials on which this research has been based. Secondary materials also aided in providing historical context to various chapters and made it clear what set this project apart from those before. Upon evaluation of these sources, my thesis was confirmed. American golf in the 1950s was largely reflective of American society at the time; both in a positive and a negative manner. Segregation of professional organizations led to an exclusive representation of the sport as a whole. Images of relaxation and luxury in American popular media catered to the white home exclusively; this extended to golf media. Black Americans had their own country clubs and communities that enjoyed golf together and the lifestyle that came along with it. Those stories were not told and were perceived to hold no value to the public mission of fighting communism and promoting capitalism. This research is significant in large part because of the geopolitical environment of today. The act of sportswashing has been continuously crafted and modified since well before the 1950s and is ever-present currently with the Saudi Arabian involvement in sports such as golf and soccer. Future endeavors into this subject area should aim to include the practice of sportswashing in a larger project about the employment of soft power tactics utilized by the United States during the Cold War. Personal interest in golf led to this project's creation but research questions surrounding other sports and the Cold War could also be asked and followed up on.