ABSTRACT
It is impossible to fully understand contemporary society and culture without acknowledging the place of sport. We inhabit a world in which sport is an international phenomenon. It is important for politicians and world leaders to be associated with sports personalities; it contributes to the economy; some of the most visible international spectacles are associated with sporting events; it is part of the social and cultural fabric of different localities, regions and nations; its transformative potential remains evident in some of the poorest areas of the world; it is important to the television and film industry, and the tourist industry; and it is regularly associated with social problems and issues such as crime, health, violence, social inequality, labour migration, economic and social regeneration, and poverty.
