The State of Play
The State of Play explores how sports influence politics through sports diplomacy and soft power. Sports connects with its audience emotionally. It is important in this fast-paced generation that our society can truly understand politics not only through the lens of network news but also through other perspectives. Today, network news often focus on conflicts and contrasts between nations to increase their viewers. However, this can cause audiences to ignore relations between two nations that exist but are not reported or focused upon. Thus, Sports can mend this loophole by reflecting on domestic or international relations that nations or a certain culture may contain.
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Jan 05, 2026
Monday Jan 05, 2026
This episode uncovers the case of the young badminton prodigy An Se Young criticizing the Korean Badminton Association after winning her gold medal for female singles in the Paris Olympics, 2024. Furthermore, this episode will explore the difference in how sports is seen in various cultures and how sports can be tightly interconnected with a nation's government.