The European Model of Sport: Myth or Reality?

This is the first book to present a critical analysis of the concept of the European Model of Sport (EMS). The EMS concept is widely used by policymakers at the national and EU levels, and by some sports organisations, yet it has never been comprehensively defined in official documents.

This book asks whether the EMS is real or imagined, evaluates its significance in a rapidly evolving European context and for world sport more broadly, and compares it against other models of sport in different regions of the world. The first section of the book is a multi-disciplinary analysis of the EMS, putting the EMS in historical context and examining the concept from political, economic, socio-cultural and legal perspectives. The second section of this book looks at different models of sport within Europe, including Germany, the UK, Scandinavia and South-East Europe, and how they intersect with EU policy. The final section of this book looks at models of sport in North America, Latin America, China, Africa and the Arab World, highlighting key differences and similarities in order to illuminate our understanding of sport governance, policy and management around the world. Throughout, this book includes consideration of grassroots sport, going beyond traditional analyses that have focused primarily on professional sport.

In an era in which sport represents a dynamic arena for competition between corporations, NGOs, international organisations and nation-states, this book is an essential reference for anybody with an interest in sport policy, sport governance, sport management, sport law, EU policy and law, the history of European integration or the relationship between sport and wider society.

Borja García is Reader in sport policy and governance in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University, UK. He is also a founding member of the Association for the Study of Sport and the European Union (www.sportandeu.com). He has published extensively in top journals such as the Journal of European Public Policy, the Journal of Common Market Studies and European Sport Management Quarterly.

Vanja Smokvina is Associate Professor of sports law, labour and social security law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Rijeka, Croatia. He is the Head of the Institute of Sports Law, Sports Policies and Sports Diplomacy and holder of the Jean Monnet Chair in EU Sports Law, Policy & Diplomacy (2022–2025). Vanja is also an Arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, and member of the Scientific Committee of the UEFA Football Law Programme.