Sport, Prestige and International Relations

Abstract

In An Essay Written In The Mid-1980S Trevor Taylor Concluded that ‘. . . international relations scholars show little sign of seriously considering the place of sport in global human affairs’ and prescribed that ‘international relations should take more account of sport . . .’ We might have expected some change in the period since then, not least because the academic study of sport has established itself in such fields as politics and law and has made further advances in sociology and social history. The ‘myth of autonomy’ which suggested that sport should and did have little effect on other human activities has been largely undermined; indeed, we might argue that in some cases there has been an overreaction against it. Modern sport is increasingly and perhaps essentially international and has had an international dimension almost from the outset. It has developed highly autonomous international organizations, most notably the International Olympic Committee and FIFA, the international (association) football federation.

The Willigness to Pay for a German Win of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil

“…This finding and the finding that national importance (NATIMP) has no significant impact on the WTP as well diverge from previous studies that depict a positive relationship between sports and feelings like patriotism and cultural belonging (e.g. Allison and Monnington 2002, Humphreys et al 2011, Van Hilvoorde et al 2010, Wicker, Hallmann et al 2012 …”

The Value of Sporting Success to Germans: Comparing the 2012 UEFA Championships with the 2012 Olympics

“…For example, it was reported that sporting success can create a general feel-good factor among the population (see Forrest/Simmons 2003) as well as feelings of national and civic pride (see Allison/Monnington 2002). Moreover, it has a unifying component because it can foster local and national unity and social cohesion (see Castellanos et al 2011;Johnson 2008;Süssmuth et al 2010).…”

How to influence national pride? The Olympic medal index as a unifying narrative

“…Obtaining sport medals could inspire the public or, as some argue, have a positive impact on the growth of recreational sport or even the economy as a whole. Success in sport is also thought to influence international prestige (Allison and Monnington, 2002). Generally speaking, there seems to be little doubt about these positive effects of success in elite sports on national pride.…”