This book provides an interpretation of sport in contemporary South Africa through an historical account of the contours of the evolution of sport #xE2;#xAC;#x1C; and their wider social ramifications #xE2;#xAC;#x1C; in the twentieth century. It comprises chapters which trace the growth of sports such as football, cricket and rugby and their relationship to aspects of racial identity, masculinity, femininity, political and social development in the country. The book also draws out the wider geo-political significance of South African sport, placing it in the context of the development of sport both elsewhere on the African continent and internationally. The history of sport has seen significant international growth over the past few decades. For the most part, however, the history of sport in Africa #xE2;#xAC;#x1C; and all of the socio-cultural and political contingencies associated with it #xE2;#xAC;#x1C; has remained largely untraced. By detailing the way in which sport#xE2;#xAC;"s development in South Africa overlapped with major socio-political processes on the wider African continent, this volume seeks to narrow the gap. This book was previously published as a special issue of the International Journal of the History of Sport.