National Identity and Sport in Globalized Contexts
Summary
Sport has long served as a potent medium for the expression and negotiation of national identity amid intensifying global interconnectedness. Athletes competing on international stages embody collective narratives of belonging, while sporting events catalyse both unity and contestation over the symbolic boundaries of the nation. The global circulation of players, coaches and fans fosters transcultural flows that challenge monolithic conceptions of national belonging, giving rise to hybrid identities and novel forms of affiliation. Simultaneously, mega-events such as the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup act as focal points for statecraft and cultural diplomacy, underlining the strategic deployment of sport within nation-building processes. Migration patterns within elite sport not only reflect broader demographic shifts but also reshape the criteria of inclusion, as host societies renegotiate citizenship, eligibility and representation. The interplay of media narratives, public sentiment and policy frameworks further informs how sporting performance and personal biographies feed into evolving discourses of nationalism. This research field thus sits at the intersection of sociology, political science and cultural studies, illuminating how globalisation reconfigures the emotional and ideological foundations of nationhood through the prism of sport.
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National Identity and Sport in Globalized Contexts publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in national identity and sport in globalized contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
National identity: A sense of belonging to a nation, constructed through shared culture, history and symbols.
Sport migration: The movement of athletes across borders for professional, competitive or personal reasons, influencing both sending and receiving nations.
Logic of nationalism: An implicit framework shaping perceptions of who rightfully represents the nation, rooted in historical and cultural assumptions.
Destigmatisation strategies: Tactics used by individuals or groups to counter negative stereotypes and affirm their legitimacy within a national narrative.
References
- Have the Olympic Games become more migratory? A comparative historical perspective. Comparative Migration Studies (2017).
- Who Can Represent the Nation? Elite Athletes, Global Mega Events and the Contested Boundaries of National Belonging. Sociology (2020).
- “It's My Country I'm Playing for”—A Biographical Study on National Identity Development of Youth Elite Football Players With Migrant Background. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (2022).
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