ABSTRACT
Sport is arguably the most important shared culture in the world. Globalization – the fluid and rapid movement of information, finance, commerce, and people – has had profound impacts on sport in the twenty-first century. This chapter examines sports in the twenty-first century through the interdisciplinary lens of international studies. The record of international sports competitions contributing to better foreign relations is mixed. Commercialization has taken the local flavor out of modern sports. The governments of developing countries often come under criticism from their citizens when scarce public resources are spent on big sporting events. The United States and the Soviet Union competed in mostly friendly sporting competitions throughout the cold war. The success of Soviet bloc women propelled sporting opportunities for American women, culminating in Title IX legislation in 1972, which guarantees equal opportunities for women athletes in publicly funded schools and universities.
