Nathan Clark

"Russia: A Continuously Changing Foe of America, on and off the Ice"

American media has depicted Russia as a strong, but inferior country to the United States. An example of this is present in the film Miracle (released 2004) which depicts the American hockey team’s upset win over the USSR in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The film exaggerates the strength of the Russian hockey team in order to make the American win even more impressive. The film claims that the Russian hockey team “dominated the NHL’s best” and that “their passing was crisper, offense relentless.” One can also find this exaggeration of Russian strength in American media in the film Rocky IV. In this film, the strength of the Russian boxer Drago was exaggerated to the point where he seemed invincible. However, like in Miracle, the Americans won. While some may suspect that sports and a nation’s standing are not tied together, it has been found that many view sports as a representation of their respective countries.

America portrays itself as superior to Russia in the media due to the concept of soft power. Soft power is the belief that a country can set the narrative about themselves through avenues such as tourism, sports, and media. The American media depicting miracle wins over Russians shows their dominance over them, but this is done with a purpose. The American media ecosystem is the most powerful in the world. This immense influence means that they can shape the external worldview of Russia. For example, besides depicting Russia as inferior to the United States, the film also makes a couple negative remarks towards the people of the country. At one point in the film Miracle while the team is watching Russians practice on film one of the hockey players states that “they are Russians. They will get shot if they smile.” These negative remarks towards the Russians elevate America’s position even more over Russia and it communicates this belief to the broader international community due to the power of American media.

In addition, the reason the American portrayal of Russia as inferior to the US carries so much weight is that the rivalry between the US and Russia simply means more. In the film, the wife of Herb Brooks (the coach of the American hockey team) tells him that “many people view the hockey match as more than a hockey game.” It is important to note that Russia and the United States never met on the battlefield. Therefore, the area of sports was one of the only mediums that the United States and Russians could compare themselves to each other. Even though the film was made in 2004 nearly 24 years after the miracle on ice, the rivalry between the United States and Russia has continued. Events such as Russia’s invasion of Georgia, Ukraine, and the 2016 Election interference have made Russia a continuing presence in American media. Due to Russia’s presence in American media and their superpower role, when America shows superiority over Russia it is viewed as proof of American exceptionalism.