Sports and Nationalism It is with no doubt that the idea of nationalism has become one of the most powerful ideological forces of the 20th century. Many important historical events have shown the growth and impact of nationalist sentiment. When one ponders about the idea of nationalism, one can draw from a variety of different examples. Some of which are dated back as early as the late 1800's, during Napoleon's reign in France or Nazi Germany during the period of the Second World War. Some recent examples of nationalism may include the events that took place in Northern Ireland during the late 1980's or the events that are presently taking place in Yugoslavia. It is interesting to note how