Introduction: What makes a Sporting Icon?

Palestinian football and national identity under occupation

“…While there is the suggestion that mainstream commentators on nationalism often paid little attention to sport (Smith and Porter, 2004), Bairner (2015) suggests sport offers multiple opportunities to create and foster a sense of nationhood with greater interest being shown in how sports events can act as sites for the construction, expression or (re)imagining of national identity and national heroes. One productive strand of research on sport and national identity can be found in studies on the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and its role within Ireland and for the Irish diaspora in 'imagining Irishness' (Darby, 2010;Harkin, 2018;O'Boyle and Kearns, 2017; for non-GAA studies on sport and national identity see Allen, 2013;Hassan, 2013;Tomlinson and Young, 2006;Wenner and Billings, 2017). While Smith and Porter (2004) noted the relationship between national identity and sport was multi-faceted and complex, there has been growing recognition that sport offers a valuable stage for those 'without a country' and/or those seeking recognition for their small or nascent nation (Sterchele, 2013;Brentin, 2013;Menary, 2007).…”