Political Unionism and Sporting Nationalism: An Examination of the Relationship Between Sport and National Identity Within the Ulster Unionist Tradition

Abstract

While the close relationship between sport and the nation has been frequently asserted, it can be argued that concepts that are central to our understanding of this relationship remain relatively ill defined. This article seeks to address this problem by looking at a political tradition that is often defined in opposition to concepts such as nation, nationality, and national identity. The discussion centers on the extent to which the nationality, and national identity of Ulster unionists have been constructed in relation to sport, with particular emphasis on soccer and rugby union. In general, this article argues that sport has allowed certain Ulster unionists to live relatively comfortably with their Irishness, while it has also permitted others to define themselves largely in negative terms as not being Irish. In this way, this article seeks to demonstrate the importance of being clear about the use of certain concepts in portrayals of the relationship between sport and the nation more generally.