After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

• Explain the differences between politics and government and between power and authority.
• Identify reasons why governments become involved in sports.
• Provide examples of government intervention that has influenced who participates in sports under what conditions.
• Provide examples of how government intervention in sports protects the rights and safety of athletes and nonathletes alike.
• Provide examples of how government intervention in sports may benefit some people more than others.
• Identify the traditional ideals associated with international sports, and discuss those ideals in terms of the realities of international sports.
• Critically discuss why the Olympic Games are important international events, and whether the changes suggested by the authors are needed to control nationalism and commercialism in the Olympic Games.
• Explain the connections between cultural ideology and the sponsorship of sports by nation-states and transnational corporations.
• Identify the issues associated with athletes as global migrant workers.
• Identify the issues associated with the production of sport equipment and apparel around the world.
• Give examples of politics in sports, and explain why politics will always be a part of sports.