Sport has always acted as a microcosm of society. Those who play sport at any level, along with those who watch or simply engage online, are people from all walks of life. Those who participate in the field come from different backgrounds, have different beliefs, views and values. Regardless of one’s occupation, wealth, religion or race, sport has often been seen as the ‘great equaliser’ and broad church for everyone to join.

But sport also reflects the tensions, conflicts and even inequalities of society, largely because it is made up of society's citizens. Sport is a construct of society, and the games we play and how we play them is a reflection of society. This is true of any era of history and any culture around the world.

Yet, while many of the challenges and experiences of prejudice and conflict that average citizens experience play out away from peering eyes of the public, sport is different. Due to the increasing popularity of sport, the celebritisation of athletes and the relentless 24-hour coverage of sports on-and off-field matters, it is very much under the public spotlight and the subject of much discussion. Therefore, given that sport is a visible microcosm of society, it is also a platform for some of society's most challenging and divisive issues to be analysed and discussed – often with great vigour, passion and even hostility (Boxill 2003).

Often at the centre of these sports-related social and cultural debates are the athletes, who, for all their fame, fortune and notoriety are fundamentally citizens of society, confronting their issues and challenges, but doing so in the public eye (Osborne et al. 2016). As such, they often become the subject of public discourse. Of course, sporting and social debates are nothing new – the history of sport is littered with controversies and conflicts that relate to broader societal issues, inequalities and prejudices.