The 1980 us vs the soviet union has many things that make up the social context of the game. During this time the cold war was going on which was a arm race between the us and ussr and these two countries competed in everything against each other. Also during the games there were the hostages at the us embassy in iran. A third major event that was taking place was that the economy in the USA has very bad at this time and many people had lost their jobs. These three things gave americans a very dim and gloomy outlook on their country and how they felt about being a citizen of the us. That is why the hockey game was so important. It was something for the USA to get excited about and feel proud about again. There were many times during the movie when there were scences of nationalism and national pride. For example the intense chanting of U S A during the game then when the coach gathers his players and tells the listen to the chant. Another example is how he reminds his players that they are playing for their country not just for a gold medal.