Sparky's Cup Education Panel: World Cup and Global Sports - Geopolitics of Sport and Sportswashing

Sportswashing is how groups or governments use sport to distract from negative publicity. Sport and the hosting of mega-events are inherently aligned with geopolitics. Our attention is drawn to sport and politics as they play out across various scales: locally, nationally, regionally and globally. As nations compete for economic and political prowess, sport becomes a medium to showcase presence and power. Politics surrounding sport attract attention from sociologists, political scientists, economists, geographers, lawyers, business scholars and human-rights activists, who each offer critical insight surrounding how sport impacts us as a society. While sport is used to attract investment or create marketing spectacles, we must not lose focus on how the staging of mega-events has led to controversy, inequity and concerns surrounding social justice. In this session we will address, discuss and debate the contemporary presence of sport, mega-events, geopolitics and sportwashing as Qatar prepares to host the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup this November.

Nicholas Wise

School of Community Resources & Development

602-496-0150

nick.wise@asu.edu

https://scrd.asu.edu/