Blame Games

Abstract

This chapter reviews the developments in Greece within the context of “crisis” politics and populism, and specifically outlines the interconnections between contemporary Greek politics and international sport. It provides an analysis of the particular discourses of blame involved in the continued development of Greece’s populist democracy, describes how populist politics often underscore the interconnections between sport and Greek society. While the extent of the Greek economic crisis was recognised by world media during the dour period around 2009, the evidence of potential problems had started to emerge much earlier, including just six months after the hosting of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, when the European Commission issued a formal warning after finding that Greece had falsified budget deficit data in the process of joining the Eurozone. The relationship between sport and populism in Greece has meant that sport events, teams, athletes were increasingly incorporated into the discourses of blame that often permeated the politics of a nation in crisis.