Sport, Militarism, and Peace

As a competitive, strategic, and goal-oriented mode of human interaction, sport offers the peace researcher a useful context for studying processes of group conflict. Additionally, sport functions as an institution of socialization into the dominant cultural ideology. This article illustrates the utility of sport research for those interested in conflict and peace issues by drawing from research on sport aggression and competition, moral reasoning patterns among sport participants, and social construction of masculinity in male-dominated sports. It concludes with suggestions about the potential of sport as a vehicle for peace education.