Sport Plus the Shooting: An Examination of International Sporting Success and Event Hostship's Impact on the National Willingness to Fight

Abstract

Research has long aimed to identify the effects of international sporting success or event hostship on nations. Overall findings suggest that tangible benefits are marginal at best. Still, some studies find that sport may have significant intangible effects, such as bolstering (short-term) feelings of national pride or happiness. Following this strand of research, the present paper asks whether international sporting success and/or hostship affects people's willingness to fight for their country. The connection between sport and international conflict is a plausible one, which scholars have debated for decades. Yet, this is also an issue that is underexplored, especially empirically. To expand on existing research, we analyse time-series cross-sectional survey data. The output from our estimations suggests that citizens' willingness to fight decreases slightly when their country is hosting a major sport event. Similar effects do not apply to sporting success, even if additional analysis suggests a context-dependent positive relationship. To form a future research agenda, our approach and results are discussed to invite new and alternative research perspectives to improve the understanding of the relationship between sport and (the absence of) conflict.