The game of football has played a key role in shaping and cementing senses of national identity throughout the world. As any seasoned traveller can attest, the quickest entry into most cultures is by talking football or attending a match. The game is a prism for both witnessing and interacting with identities and cultures. Aware that the game may afford a space for expressing or organizing protest and dissent, powerful groups the world over may attempt to harness the forces of populist nationalism provided by football. This book examines football in 18 countries.

The game of football has played a key role in shaping and cementing senses of national identity throughout the world. As any seasoned traveller can attest, the quickest entry into most cultures is by talking football or attending a match. The game is a prism for both witnessing and interacting with identities and cultures. Aware that the game may afford a space for expressing or organizing protest and dissent, powerful groups the world over may attempt to harness the forces of populist nationalism provided by football. This book examines football in 18 countries.

"Globalization and Sport" is a unique collection which places sport at the heart of debates on global processes.
Features major critical interventions by some of the world's leading sociologists and anthropologists on the subject of sport
Contributors include George Ritzer, David Andrews, Frank Lechner, William Kelly, Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Barry Smart, Paul James, Chris Rumford and Gary Armstrong
Provides a mixture of original theories and fresh research material, examining sport in a diversity of settings, including Europe, the Americas, Australasia, Africa and Asia
Essential reading for anyone interested in globalization processes or sport