This book explores various social, cultural, political and economic issues through the lenses of various sport mega-events in the twenty-first century, including the Olympic Games, and the World Cup and European Championships in football. In a time where sport mega-events are closely followed by controversies, legacy discourses and questions of their governance, the chapters within this book showcase why sport mega-events continue to ignite important questions for scholars, commentators, fans and sport and political authorities.

By covering various topics emerging around sport mega-events such as physical activity, legacies, rhetoric, media coverage, environmental impacts, diplomacy and spectators' experiences, this book breaks new ground as it considers a range of longstanding and emerging socio-political issues relating broadly to the staging of spectacular sport mega-events in the present-day.

This is a fascinating reading for students and researchers situated in sociology, sport management, event management, political science, sport studies, sport business, urban studies and leisure studies. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

Jan Andre Lee Ludvigsen is Senior Lecturer in International Reltions and Politics with Sociology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. His research fields are within the sociology and politics of sport and he has authored four books in this area.

Joel Rookwood is Lecturer in Sport Management at University College Dublin in Ireland and a visiting fellow in Sport Management and Marketing at the University of Vic – Central Catalunya in Spain. Joel’s research interests include sports mega-events, international development, the football industry and sports governance, areas in which he has published widely.

Daniel Parnell is Associate Professor in Sport Business at the University of Liverpool Management School, UK. Dan’s research interests lie in business management, policy, and social and economic networks in sport.