ABSTRACT
This chapter lays the foundations of the main themes of the book. The chapter’s main arguments are that sport, the state and the market are interdependent, and unlike what has been argued in the literature, moral autonomy is a crucial aspect of sport. Whilst financial, political and legal dimensions of sporting autonomy are essential, moral autonomy as entrenched by legal autonomy is the key. Moral autonomy enables sport associations to pass and enforce regulations that would be seen as anathema to the constitutional orders. Robert Cover’s presentation of the situation regarding normative orders is of the essence, in that, his explication of nomos and narrative could be directly applied to the case of sport. By utilising these theoretical tools, the chapter argues that the narratives of politics-free and politically neutral sport allow organisers to pass regulations (nomos) restricting political expression within their jurisdictions.
