Sport in Times of Turmoil: Political Uses of Sport in Global Crises

ABSTRACT

As the COVID-19 virus spread across the globe, sport leagues and mega-events succumbed to the pandemic, shuttering even the most high-profile activities, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As the global crisis deepened and competitions returned in modified formats, sport’s political uses – viewed widely – became increasingly apparent. Considered along a harder-to-softer continuum, six political uses of sport are laid bare in times of crises: resource redeployment to supplement public infrastructure needs; economic stability and stimulus; leveraged status for public good; distraction from human toil; symbol of collective resolve; and the opportunity for state re-invention. However, each of these six uses is contested and tensive. As such, the political uses of sport in a global crisis reveal both positive and negative dimensions of sport and society-at-large. As such, I present a REI-BCI (Resources-Engagement-Identity/Bread-Circus-Image) continuum to highlight the dynamic political uses of sport in times of turmoil.