Nation Building The Catalytic Role of Sports

Abstract

Classifying countries into developed, underdeveloped or developing nations is a function defined by the status of nation building parameters like general security, social capital and social stability, as well as economic viability and political harmony. As a top national agenda, nations across the world have prioritized nation building through coordinated activities executed through specific agencies and other force majeure.  Though sports when ill-conducted can lead to pockets of hooliganism, a sport event organized in the most modest conventional manner becomes an effective mechanism for social, cultural, economic and political development as it has the capacity to bring people together and educate their social capital, prevent crimes and conflicts, promote social and political security, attract economic and infrastructural development and overall, advance peace. Despite the proven ability of sports to foster nation building, sport development in most countries remains marginalized and challenged. This paper is an attempt to articulate the catalytic role of sports in nation building. The paper also examines the rationale for nation building, attributes of sports in nation building, demonstrated capacity of sports in nation building and the challenges facing sports in nation building.