Bad Sports
In November 1935 and July 1936, the German magazine Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung (AIZ) published features on the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, which were hosted by Adolf Hitler’s fascist Nazi regime. AIZ differed from other German periodicals, in that their coverage was the furthest effort from a promotional take on the games. They offered a critical, and downright scathing retort of the Nazi’s “sportswashing” propaganda efforts.
AIZ is most notable for artist John Heartfield’s politically charged photomontages, which are a technical combination of two or more photographs to form a single image. Heartfield’s use of photomontage to create monstrous and sardonic assessments of the human condition is a practice that has been heavily utilized ever since in both fine art and editorial publishing. Today, this practice is somewhat corrupted by the use of AI, but there are still telltale signs that can differentiate between human and machine generated imagery.
I hesitantly bring up the use of AI, because at the time it was a new invention, photomontage sparked controversy amongst cultural critics and some artists, which is similar to how AI is being discussed in these circles today. But the thesis of this piece is not to delve into the ethics of AI, or how technology has essentially always been intrinsic within art. The point here is that photomontage enabled Heartfield (and other artists) to produce incredibly grotesque and acerbic compositions, that had a chilling effect because they felt lifelike due to the incorporation of traditional photography. This juxtaposition of realness and surreal elements were indicative of Heartfield’s intent to shock the public and critique authority.
While the Olympic games are both a literal and symbolic showing of physical and mental fortitude, Heartfield’s Olympic related imagery is antithetical to any signs of human strength. There are two particular Heartfield photomontages that best represent the fallacy of the Nazi regime: Program of the Olympics and Olympic Guests — Forward March!
Program of the Olympics is an eight panel visual essay of fictionalized Olympic events that Heartfield envisioned to be in line with the Nazi’s violence and depravity. It was published in a November 1935 issue of AIZ, as a seething call to attention regarding the hypocrisy of having the Olympics be hosted by a despot-led regime that was committing numerous atrocities. Heartfield’s invented games include “tug-of-war” (with Nazis dragging a Jewish victim along the ground) and "bodybuilding” (where malnourished concentration camp victims are shown being forced into harsh labor).
Berlin was chosen to host the Olympic games prior to Hitler’s ascension in 1933, and the Nazis were initially not keen to the idea of having the games in their country. However, they understood propaganda well, and knew it could be a way for them to rehab their negative image that was forming internationally. Olympic Guests — Forward March! unmasks the Nazi’s attempt to portray a diplomatic identity during the Olympic games. The photomontage depicts Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, herding athletes who have Olympic rings through their noses like cattle. Above them is an arch that reads, “Welcome to Germany.”
With the United States’ turn towards fascism, it’s not surprising to see the Trump administration’s appropriation of Nazi imagery and propaganda. The United States stirred up an ample amount of controversy during the recent 2026 Winter Olympics; and is receiving valid pushback for its role as the host of the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament. Similarly to Hitler’s xenophobic ethnic cleansing campaign and militaristic governing, the Trump administration’s policies are at odds with the theme of global diplomacy that events like the Olympics and World Cup claim to embody.
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TIL! Great read, thanks Adam!