‘Which country do you support?’: Third Culture Kids with Japanese connections and the role of sport in shaping national identities

Abstract Increased globalization has given opportunities for families to relocate around the world often with ease. The product of such moves are Third Culture Kids (TCKs), whom Pollock and Van Reken (1999. The third culture kid experience: Growing up among worlds. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press) describe as individuals who have spent their developmental years in a culture outside their own. Literature suggests that these individuals are often faced with an identity crisis from not being able to fully integrate in both their ‘home’ and their adopted countries. This article explores the extent to which sport influences TCKs in forming a national identity. The researcher interviewed TCKs who have spent a period of their lives in Japan and investigated their views on national identity, with specific reference to sport. The interviews revealed that, in order to create a sense of belonging to a specific country, TCKs use cultural identifiers such as participation in sport and spectatorship of national sport teams. The study confirmed that sport consumption can reinforce community belonging, but this can act in both positive and negative ways. In addition, the study found that TCKs often utilize sport in order to assimilate with adopted countries or to keep ties with their ‘home’ nation and this helps begin a conversation about sport influencing national belonging for TCKs. The findings show that both participation in and watching sport are seen to play an important role in community integration, and allow TCKs to create identities with different nations.