Geopolitics of Sport

This course examines the international politics of global sport, the ways in which nation-states use sport to advance their domestic and foreign agendas and accumulate reputational capital. Because of sport's mass popularity and power to help forge social cohesion and a sense of a shared identity, great and emerging powers have long sought to distinguish themselves not only in high-profile athletic competitions, but also in the hosting of such contests. Students come to appreciate how international sport constitutes an important front for public diplomacy and geopolitical rivalries, and consider the ensuing challenges of designing representative governing bodies such as the IOC and FIFA for global sport. The course also looks at the unprecedented moves nation-states are engaging in to acquire permanent ownership stakes in international sport, with students assessing what is behind these moves, and how they impact how America itself connects to the rest of the world through sport.