Abstract
In the twenty-first century, populism has become one of the dominant terms for understanding how politics functions. This article explores the concept of populism in the context of longer standing debates relating to the definition of fascism and argues that the scholarly framing of populism has undergone a similar trajectory to that which came to dominate fascist studies. While such debates and definitions are useful in understanding what is meant by a term such as populism, the article assesses how populist politicians have attempted to mobilize sport (particularly football) as part of their message. The article seeks to demonstrate that sport is a highly flexible and easily mobilized political tool, and while it is important to understand populism in the contemporary political context, the article argues that populist politicians are part of a long tradition of strongman manipulation of sport.
