Geography, migration and sport

Migration is a fundamental concept in human geography. Global connections established through sport directly align with a contemporary mobilities turn, whereby leisure and consumption reinforce how we understand the overlapping of several cultural identities across geographical spaces. Sports sociologists, sporting economists and scholars from across various social science disciplines have sought to understand the impact of sport on contemporary migration trends and patterns. From critical standpoints, the movement of athletes from different cultures, coupled with mediatisation, have reinforced how we think about social and political relationships between nations. What aligns these directions are often social, economic or political geographical implications that push and pull people. While many issues are addressed, scholars have assessed nationalism, employment patterns, financial benefits or political disturbances to understand movements across and into different geographies. This chapter offers different examples of sport and migration based on different geographical scales and place complexities.