‘Sport for Yes’? The role of sporting issues in pro-independence political discourse during the Scottish independence referendum campaign

Abstract

This article critically considers the extent to which sporting issues were harnessed by pro-independence political campaigners during the Scottish independence referendum campaign. Developments such as the inclusion of sport within the Scottish Government's White Paper on Scottish independence, the establishment of the 'Working Group on Scottish Sport' and the establishment of the 'Sport for Yes' campaign group demonstrate the harnessing of sporting issues as an additional, if somewhat peripheral, debate point in the referendum campaigns (Lafferty 2014, Scottish Government 2013, Working Group on Scottish Sport and Scottish Government 2013, 2014). The latter of these developments, the establishment of the 'Sport for Yes' campaign group, is of particular interest, offering evidence of the explicit political mobilisation of past and present athletes in support of the 'Yes Scotland' pro-independence campaign. The use of sport within pro-independence political discourse is therefore scrutinised, drawing upon the principles of critical discourse analysis to explore the ideological assumptions underpinning the discursive representation of sport in relation to Scottish independence.

“Més Que Un Joc?”: Sport and Contemporary Political Nationalism in Scotland and Catalonia

“…The pro-union “Better Together” campaign was able to coordinate support from a range of personalities from the two most popular sports in Scotland, football and rugby, including high-profile celebrities such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Denis Law, David Beckham, Sir Ian McGeechan, Gavin Hastings, and David Sole (Crichton, 2014; Whitaker, 2014), and was thus more successful in this regard. However, the establishment of the “Sport for Yes” campaign group by pro-independence campaigners illustrated a degree of success in this regard (Lafferty, 2014; Whigham & May, 2017). Therefore, despite the questionable impact of sports-related political interventions during the referendum campaign, the growing trend for endorsements for a “Yes” or “No” vote from sporting personalities became apparent during the closing weeks of the Scottish independence referendum campaign (Harris & Skillen, 2016; Jarvie, 2017) and a growing trend for endorsements for a “Yes” or “No” vote from sporting personalities became apparent (Harris & Skillen, 2016; Jarvie, 2017), suggesting that the potential risks of political interventions such as these were reduced for those who were no longer actively competing.…”

“…Nonetheless, the lack of synergy between sporting and political nationalism in the Scottish context does not mean that sport has remained free of the influence of political debates and causes. For example, during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, sporting issues were frequently harnessed by both sides of the political debate, with the pro-independence and pro-union campaigns both citing support from sporting personalities for their respective political goals (Harris & Skillen, 2016; Jarvie, 2017; Ochman, 2013; Whigham & May, 2017). Furthermore, the Scottish Government’s White Paper on Scottish independence and their establishment of the “Working Group on Scottish Sport” and the “Sport for Yes” campaign groups illustrated that sport remained a consideration within the ongoing debates regarding the potential impact of Scottish independence for sport as an area of government policy (Lafferty, 2014; Scottish & Government, 2013a, 2013b, 2014; Whigham & May, 2017).…”

Sport, Power and Politics: Exploring Sport and Social Control within the Changing Context of Modernity

“…Commonwealth Games (Whigham and May, 2017). Such investment has been provided on the supposed benefits that both the hosting and success accrued from such events can bring.…”

Where extremes meet: Sport, nationalism, and secessionism in Catalonia and Scotland

“…Unsurprisingly, this group appeared be tasked with placing a particular emphasis on showing the benefits of independence in line with the SNP's broader push to secure a 'Yes' vote in the referendum, whilst also identifying simple solutions to any potential barriers for Scottish participation in international sporting competitions (Jarvie, 2017;Whigham and May, 2017). In this sense, the Scottish Government's approach to sport was analogous to the broader 'Yes' campaign: emphasise the positives, and ignore or refute the negatives.…”

“…The dualistic expression of Britishness and Scottishness in the domain of sport was harnessed more effectively by the pro‐union “Better Together” campaign, which was able to recruit a much wider range of high‐profile personalities from the two most popular sports in Scotland, football and rugby (Harris & Skillen, 2016;Jarvie, 2017 ; Whigham & May, 2017). Furthermore, the pro‐union campaign also received vocal support from Lynsey Sharp, a 800‐m runner who had represented both Scotland and Great Britain in athletics in events such as the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games, with Sharp giving media interviews outlining her support for the constitutional status quo as well as using Twitter in the same way as Andy Murray to pronounce her pro‐union support.…”