ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the main themes and chapters in the book. The introduction provides a chronology of the recent events that demonstrate the interconnection between sport, economics, politics, and geography. Sport has become an important focal node of networks underpinned by a quest for power and control over important resources and also become the means to an end for countries, businesses, and others that are seeking to achieve goals that extend way beyond it. In this chapter, the geopolitical economy is defined as part of highlighting instances and issues that should be classified as being geopolitically economic in nature. The chapter calls for more scholarly activity on this new conceptualization of sport.
