The popularity of football games in the world: Is there a relation with hegemonic power?

Football was invented in the most prestigious public schools of the British hegemon and diffused to the European continent. The early professionalism and the social trickling down to the people’s game made it the sport in the world. Rugby kept until recently its status of amateurism and was spatially diffused into the White dominions. Some formalised versions of rugby and mixtures with other types of football resulted in Australia rules , Canadian football and American football but non of them spatially diffused. The US hegemon introduced baseball and not American football in regions influenced by them. Gaelic football on the other hand was and is an expression of local Irish nationalism.status: publishe