Integration of politics and sports in Lebanon

Abstract

Throughout history, politics has played a major role in exerting its power into other domains, especially sports. In Lebanon, sports has been heavily linked to politics and religion as Lebanon’s history is known for its political and religious conflicts. The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of politics on Lebanese sports in the two most prominent sports fields, football and basketball, using the Spiral of Silence and the Two- Step theories. The final sample of 295 participants filled a questionnaire that targeted their fandom and attitudes towards political intervention in sports. Also, five professional basketball and five professional football players from first division teams were interviewed. Results showed that politics and religion play a major role in sports, especially through funding, and fans are affected by this former integration. Results also show mostly a negative attitude towards this interference, and many have noted being affected by opinions related to teams and decision which circulate social media. The results pave the way to understanding how the sports-religion system intertwines in Lebanon, provides an assessment of fans’ and players’ behavior, and emphasizes the need for financial support for the teams’ and fans’ sustainability, as a recommendation to reduce this interference in a healthy manner.