¹ Elias Elias, N. 1970. What is Sociology, London: Hutchinson.  [Google Scholar], What is Sociology?, 22; Elias and Dunning Elias, N. and Dunning, E. 1986. Quest for Excitement: Sport and Leisure in the Civilizing Process, Oxford: Blackwell.  [Google Scholar], Quest for Excitement.

² For more comprehensive background on the establishment process see Eisen Eisen, G. ‘Maccabiah Games: A History of the Jewish Olympics’. PhD diss., University of Maryland, 1979. [Google Scholar], ‘Maccabiah Games’, 18.

³ Kaufman Kaufman, H. 2006. Jewish Sports in the Diaspora, Yishuv and Israel: Between Nationalism and Politics. Israel Studies, 10(2): 146–64.  [Google Scholar], ‘Jewish Sports in the Diaspora’, 152.

⁴ Kaufman Kaufman, H. 2006. Jewish Sports in the Diaspora, Yishuv and Israel: Between Nationalism and Politics. Israel Studies, 10(2): 146–64.  [Google Scholar], ‘Jewish Sports in the Diaspora’, 156.

⁵ Kaufman and Galily Kaufman, H. and Galily, Y. 2008. The Early Development of Hebrew Football in Eretz Israel (1910–1928). Soccer and Society, 9(1): 81–95. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], ‘The Early development of Hebrew Football’.

⁶ Harif and Galily Harif, H. and Galily, Y. 2003. Sport and Politics in Palestine, 1918–1948: Football as a Mirror Reflecting the Relations between Jews and Britons. Soccer and Society, 4(1): 41–56. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], ‘Sport and Politics in Palestine’.

⁷ The Bar Kokhba revolt marked a time of high hopes followed by violent despair. The Jews were handed expectations of a homeland and a Holy Temple, but in the end were persecuted and sold into slavery. During the revolt itself, the Jews gained enormous amounts of land, only to be pushed back and crushed in the final battle of Bethar.

⁸ Eisen, ‘Maccabiah Games’, 41.

⁹ Israel Israel, S. 2003. “The Story of Sport in Israel”. In 100 years of Zionism, Edited by: Bruner, G. 85–92. Jerusalem: Ministry of Education/Department for Jewish Zionist Education.  [Google Scholar], ‘The Story of Sport in Israel’.

¹⁰ Israel Israel, S. 2003. “The Story of Sport in Israel”. In 100 years of Zionism, Edited by: Bruner, G. 85–92. Jerusalem: Ministry of Education/Department for Jewish Zionist Education.  [Google Scholar], ‘The Story of Sport in Israel’

¹¹ At the same however, according to Kaufman, the first years after the establishment of the Hapoel Sports Association 1923/24 shaped the relationship between the sports organizations and led to the politicization of sports in the land of Israel. The many conflicts between the sports organizations that arose as a result of the political climate created in the Jewish yishuv at the time rendered worthless all the attempts to arrive at a written settlement which would concretize the relationship between them. Instead, mutual hostility and suspicion were created among the organizations, even when it appeared that a settlement, which would satisfy both sides, had been reached – the negotiations always ended in failure. Hapoel's refusal to participate in the Maccabias was an extreme expression of a lack of ability to compromise.

¹² Kaufman, ‘Jewish Sports in the Diaspora’.

¹³ Elias and Dunning, Quest for Excitement, 23.

¹⁴ Stoddart Stoddart, B. 1986. “Sport, Culture and Postcolonial Relations”. In Sport and Politics, Edited by: Redmond, G. 120–35. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.  [Google Scholar], ‘Sport, Culture and Postcolonial Relations’, 125.

¹⁵ Wilson Wilson, J. 1992. “Cleaning up the Game: Perspectives on the Evolution of Professional Sports”. In Sport and Leisure in the Civilizing Process, Edited by: Dunning, E. and Rojek, C. 55–70. London: Macmillan.  [Google Scholar], ‘Cleaning up the Game’, 258.

¹⁶ Galily Galily, Y., ‘The Americanization of Israeli Basketball: A Figurational Analysis’. PhD diss., University of Leicester, 2001. [Google Scholar], ‘The Americanization of Israeli Basketball’.

¹⁷ For further information see Israel, ‘The Story of Sport in Israel’.

¹⁸ Kaufman and Bar-Eli Kaufman, Haim and Bar-Eli, Michael. 2005. Processes which Shaped Sports in Israel during the 20th Century. Sport History Review, 36: 179–92.  [Google Scholar], ‘Processes which Shaped Sports in Israel’.

¹⁹ Kaufman and Bar-Eli Kaufman, Haim and Bar-Eli, Michael. 2005. Processes which Shaped Sports in Israel during the 20th Century. Sport History Review, 36: 179–92.  [Google Scholar], ‘Processes which Shaped Sports in Israel’

²⁰ But if the linke between sports and politics has declined since the 1970s, it has intensified in the international arena as the country's Arab neighbours sought to isolate the Jewish State from 1973 onwards. Ironically, this tactic backfired. For while Israel was expelled from all Asian sports' federations, it was eventually accepted into the European sports' bodies, enabling the country to compete in many of the world's most prestigious competitions such as the European Athletics Championships, the European Swimming Championships, the UEFA football cups, the European Basketball cups and all other major European tournaments. Kaufman and Bar-Eli Kaufman, Haim and Bar-Eli, Michael. 2005. Processes which Shaped Sports in Israel during the 20th Century. Sport History Review, 36: 179–92.  [Google Scholar], ‘Processes which Shaped Sports in Israel’

²¹ Ben-Porat Ben-Porat, Amir. 1998. The Commodification of Football in Israel. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 33: 269–76. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], ‘The Commodification of Football in Israel’; Ben-Porat Ben-Porat, Amir. 2002. From a Game to Commodity: Football in Israel 1948–1999, Sde-Boker: Mireshet. Hebrew) [Google Scholar], From a Game to Commodity.

²² Igal Carmi, personal communication, July 10, 2005.