New book explores sport, national identity and media narratives across Britain

A new book co-authored by an academic from University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is shedding fresh light on how sport, media and national identity intersect across England, Scotland and Wales.

Dr John Harris, DBA Programme Manager (Birmingham) at the Institute of Inner City Learning at UWTSD, has co-written Sport, National Identities and the Media: Battling Brits with Professor John Vincent of the University of Alabama. The book was published at the end of last week by academic publisher Routledge.

The book builds on more than a decade of collaborative research examining how the media represents and shapes images of the sporting nations within Great Britain. It explores the complex relationship between sport, identity and politics, particularly in contexts where the nations of Great Britain compete against each other in international competitions.

Through case studies ranging from football matches between the home nations to the coverage of individual athletes such as Andy Murray, the authors analyse how sporting success can trigger competing narratives about national belonging. The book also examines debates surrounding athletes who represent Team GB despite being born outside the United Kingdom, highlighting broader questions about identity, migration and representation.

Another chapter explores the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award and the ways in which discussions of nationality intersect with wider social issues such as gender equality, race and representation in sport.

Reflecting on the publication of the book and the collaboration behind it, Dr John Harris said:

“We are delighted to see this book published after many years of collaborative research. Sport provides a powerful lens through which to examine national identity, particularly in a ‘British’ context . The media plays a crucial role in shaping how these identities are understood, celebrated and sometimes contested.”

The book also considers how sporting narratives relate to wider debates about the perceived fragility of the United Kingdom and the place of Great Britain and its constituent nations within a changing Europe in the post-Brexit era.

Further Information

Arwel Lloyd

Principal PR and Communications Officer    
Corporate Communications and PR    
Email:  arwel.lloyd@uwtsd.ac.uk    
Phone: 07384 467076