This film really opened up my eyes to how nationalism can be used in a horrible form. From the standpoint of the Palestinains, they came to the Olympic games wanting to prove that their country could stand up for itself and they thought the best way to show the world that was true was by holding the Israeli athletes hostage. These two countries were fighting for years before the 1972 Olympics when the country was divided into the two respected countries. The Palestinains wanted to flex their muscles and they made a huge statement at the Olympics that was felt across the world. From the German standpoint I thought they made a huge mistake by releaseing the three Palestinains after the whole situation was finished, but if you look at it from their standpoint, it was pretty smart for them. I am in no way agreeing with them by releasing the terrorists but they were trying to save their backs from getting in the middle of this whole situation, and possibly save them from future attacks on their country.

I think the thing that really shocked me the most was the reaction, or lack their of, by the Olympic committee. From what it looked like to me, the Olympic committee didnt really care about the whole situation because the games continued while the athletes were held hostage, and didnt suspend the competition until after some of them were killed. When they showed the view of the other athletes playing in the courtyard and laying out in the sun hundreds of yards away from the room where the athletes were hostage, that showed me that everyone their that was not directly affected by the situation didnt really care. I also thought the cermony didnt really pay tribute to the athletes that lost their lives by this hostil act. I guess i just figured something other than a cermony would have been a better tribute to these athletes.