What makes a national team ‘national’? Does it matter what the composition of the side is so long as everyone wears the shirt/jersey/tracksuit? These questions crop up time and again – not least in relation to the recent suggestion that ‘Team GB’ should field a football side for the London Olympics.
My own sport of choice is cricket and I just came across this piece by a lecturer in sports journalism. Reflecting on the number of South African born/schooled players in the ‘English’ (a problematic label in itself) cricket team Rob Steen argues that:
‘”Today’s cricket hero… does not wish to carry the responsibility for nationalist pride, regional integration and the viability of the nation-state. He sees himself as an apolitical, trans-national, global professional.” And yet still we expect him to put nation before self.’
See here for the full article and comments: http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/427344.html
What is your take on this? Would you care if Scotland qualified for the world-cup with a team of Brazilians of fictitious Scottish ancestry? Would the team be any less ‘Scottish’ as a consequence? I suppose it might sound a bit odd to hear the commentators waxing lyrical about the samba rhythms, natural ability and flair of the Scottish players but would that offend your national sensibilities?
Nationalism Studies 