Introduction

Sport and the Scottish independence referendum were inextricably intertwined. The possible impacts of a Yes vote had been the subject of many debates within sports organisations and in the media during the build-up to 18 September. How would funding for national UK bodies be split? What would happen to National Lottery funding so crucial to many community sports groups? And what about elite sport, what would bodies such as UK Sport do should Scotland become independent?

2014 was an unprecedented year for sport in Scotland with the nation hosting both the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup – two of the biggest sporting events in the world. These high profile sporting events brought issues of national identity and politics sharply into focus. As Jim White noted:

Others might have suggested that the Yes campaign was slow to exploit the already existing national sporting opportunities, such as Scotland's ability to enter its own teams into competitions such as the Commonwealth Games and the football World Cup.

This chapter will examine some of the main issues which emerged during 2014 relating to the world of sport and the referendum. It will look at the ways in which the media focus on athletes to identify them with the nation and will look specifically at the role of the Commonwealth Games within the referendum campaign. It will also consider the incident that created the most controversy, and will then reflect upon two significant events in the sport of golf which took place in Scotland around the time of the referendum. Before focusing specifically on the summer of 2014 though, it is important to briefly reflect back on a couple of other major sporting events where discussion and debates around national identities were most visible as Scottish athletes competed as part of the wider collective of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the Olympic Games.