Sport and globalization: the meaning of globalization. (Economy)

by George Wright* T his contribution aims to assess the relationship between sport and globalization. Modern sport originated in the mid-nineteenth century in Great Britain and the United States. Professional sports were organized in mining and industrial towns and cities as businesses, while amateur spectator sports, particularly “American” football, were introduced on university campuses. As Britain was still the global hegemonic power, its sports (football, cricket, athletics) proliferated throughout the world, superseding traditional games and adopting national identities. At the turn of the century the Olympic Games were revived by Western patricians to promote national prowess. During the 1920s and 1930s, professional and university sports reached an unparalleled popularity, supported by local working class and middle class spectators. The British Empire Games and football’s World Cup were organized during this period. After World War II, the United States assumed imperial hegemony, which resulted in the extension of “American” sports (baseball, basketball, volleyball) throughout the world, generally taking on national modes. Professional and collegiate sports did become increasingly influenced by television and corporate sponsors in the 1960s, but retained a national orientation. Moreover, international sports competitions were still run by bourgeois-elites who were not preoccupied with making profits. During the past two decades, however, there has been a marked change in how the sports industry has operated. This is seen in the implementation by the owners and managers of sport of globalized strategies designed to generate enormous profits. These strategies, in fact, have paralleled and complemented the restructuring occurring in the global economy. Sport