ABSTRACT
Academic discussion exploring the social scientific and the cultural analysis of sport has grown exponentially during recent decades as the era of global sports capitalism and media expansion has taken hold of an increasingly vital part of our shared human existence. Yet many of the studies undertaken previously have been restrictive in their focus and this volume seeks to counter this omission by focusing on an interdisciplinary approach and a rich diversity of themes in a coherent and accessible study. Through extensive debate moving away from being single issue specific, towards a new approach to the study of sport within a contemporary setting, our international study has wide-ranging relevance as it combines a focus on international sport with an awareness and understanding of geopolitics. In examining a broad range of sports, the contributors demonstrate how nations, states and regions interconnect and how their sporting activities feed into issues of public consciousness, well-being and the shaping of identity.
