This picture was taken after the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team won the gold medal in an upset victory against Finland. Known as the “Miracle On Ice” USA beat the Soviet Union, who were the returning champions from previous years, as well as Finland in the championship. Despite being the underdogs in both games team USA prevailed against all odds. In 1980, the United States were emerging from a troubled decade. The 1970s had been marked by a gruesome end to the Vietnam War, Watergate scandal, extremely high inflation, unemployment and energy crisis. Furthermore, the Soviets started the rebirth of the Cold War. Therefore, it was no surprise that the Miracle On Ice became known for “giving the country a reason to feel good again.” How do the players and fans facial expressions make you feel? How does this picture symbolize America?
5 comments:
The “Miracle on Ice” is a classic shot that anyone that watches sports or follows any type of sport has seen at some point or another. The photo depicts the US just as they had won not only the game, but the championship! You see the utter joy that is plastered on every Americans face. If you look closely, you’ll also see a few players are missing a few teeth as well. But does this take away from their joy? Not at all. They joined together and did what the entire world said they couldn’t. The photo does a great job in showing what Americans do best, come together and do what others say is impossible. Not only are the players jumping with joy, but also notice that the crowd is right there with them in celebration. In short, this picture shows America united together under a common cause. An event that is truly something to behold not matter what the uniting cause may be.
I see an almost frenzied happiness here—would the country have been this happy if it was not coming out of such a trying decade? Perhaps not. But the joy is undeniable, and the celebration of victory is not unusual for Americans.
I like Alex’s comment here about the toothless grins. I did not notice this, but their smiles certainly symbolize how America was feeling—hurt, but happy and resilient.
America has always been a country in which sports play a huge role. From baseball to football our nation has always had a deep seeded love of sports. They allow us to show our patriotism and unite behind our fellow American. Nowhere else is this more prevalent than at the Olympics. The “Miracle of Ice” game was a great example of this. The country was in shambles; Vietnam, Watergate, and the Cold War were all events that shook the country on a national scale. Through all this faith had been lost but “Miracle” restored it. The victory that hockey team got allowed the nation to have something to be proud of and the fact they were such underdogs also gave us hope and something to put our faith in. The team and fan’s faces reflect this immense emotion of pure joy and excitement. It showed America at its best; a nation that can recover from anything.
I think that it shows extreme excitement for not only the team but America as well. The players seem very enthusiastic as well as shocked. America, let alone them, expected a victory, especially a gold medal. I believe the American spirit is clearly emphasized from the camaraderie of the teammates and the emphasis and coming together as a group to further reunite America after a depressing time. It seems at times that it takes something like this or a great speech for America to really stand on their feet again and stand strong. We tend to forget our patriotism values and the freedom we all have is taken for granted. This picture clearly shows the uplifted spirits of the team for accomplishing the impossible and for America that light was at the end of the tunnel.
This is a great picture, and one of the most iconic photos taken in sports history. Every time I see this picture I get the same feeling:sheer joy. This picture shows the extreme excitement of hockey while also showing the great "togetherness" that sport provides. This picture also shows the hope that this team provided to a nation that, at the time, was not going through some of it's better years. It is interesting to note how young this team was. It could be said, that this is one of the key roles the youth of America played in providing a bright spot among so many dark and trying years in American history. This moment without a doubt was a rallying point for Americans and helped to bring us together and provide hope for the future.
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