My own life, like those of many Australians, would be very different without sporting experiences and relationships. Sport is not unique but, like music, theatre and books, is one of those aspects of social capital which binds us together as human beings.

And in the middle of the Australian winter there is just so much tremendous sport on display around the world as well as on our own sporting fields.

Sports involvement can be extraordinarily broad. My sporting world, as well as attending matches with friends as a spectator, includes a tennis group which has been meeting weekly for more than 25 years, a U3A sports history course, several team and association memberships, a football tipping competition, and an annual social golfing and sports holiday. There is little overlap between these groups. Together, they are the glue which holds together many wonderful friendships.

At its best (and there definitely is a worst) sport brings people together from different walks of life. It is a great leveller, both on the field and in the grandstands, and a great healer of schisms. It often surpasses political allegiances, national rivalries and gender differences. It lifts the spirits of team followers as well as dragging them down to the depths of despair. It can also be a great source of economic advancement and opportunity.

This week’s ABC Back Roads program visited the Murray River town of Robinvale near the Victorian-NSW border. One of the themes of the show was the town’s multicultural character and one of its heroes was a young woman of Tongan descent who utilised sport, in this case rugby league, to build community and to expand horizons beyond labouring jobs for young Tongans.

The many characteristics of sport have been on display at the FIFA World Cup in Putin’s Russia. The "world game" drew many Australians to follow our team enthusiastically to out-of-the-way Russian cities. The team itself is an example of successful multiculturalism and gives SBS, the multicultural broadcaster, one of its occasions to shine in the sun.

The Australian Socceroos played well, but they had long departed when the tournament reached the final stages. Nevertheless, the final between France and Croatia put on display the pride and joy and "national" fulfilment of those Australians whose heritage or loyalty lay with those countries.

For all the excitement of French fans following their own strikingly multicultural team, the deep meaning for the Croatian community was obvious. Sport can lift tiny communities – towns, cities and nations – to an unaccustomed height in defeating bigger rivals (Croatia lost but had defeated England in the semi-finals).

Individual sporting achievements can also generate extreme national pride. It was reported, for instance, that Angelique Kerber, the women’s singles champion at Wimbledon, had “restored German pride” lost at the World Cup, by defeating Serena Williams, who declared that she was “playing for all mums today”; another cause to which sport can contribute.

But pride is generally stoked more by teams than individuals, no matter how great they are. England’s surprisingly good World Cup performance enabled the nation to rise above its economic doldrums and Brexit divisions to demonstrate how national team performance might even mean more than the success of its great city teams like Manchester United.

Back in Australia, it is the winter football codes that hold sway. No one observing the delight of NSW fans in the Blues breaking through to win the State of Origin rugby league series could doubt the power of sport to lift community spirits and to generate unabashed happiness. Here in the ACT, the disappointing performances this year of the Brumbies and the Raiders has cast a slight pall over the city’s fans. But both had great wins on the weekend. As good as the Raiders were, the Brumbies beating the NSW Waratahs does have the extra David and Goliath edge to it that a Raiders win over North Queensland does not.

My own code is Aussie Rules and both my teams, the Adelaide Crows and the GWS Giants, also disappointing so far this year, were victorious on the weekend. Both teams represent their communities, Western Sydney and South Australia, in a special way. The Giants, forget the Canberra connection for the moment, are one of those social institutions which in time will help make Western Sydney a community with a unique identity (in the same way that Gold Coast sporting teams in various codes are struggling to do in their fast-growing community).

But the AFL sporting moments for me to remember came when the Sydney Swans played North Melbourne. One special moment was the debut for the Swans of another young Irishman, Colin O’Riordan, whose parents flew to Australia for the occasion. The Gaelic football-Aussie Rules connection is often sneered at by other codes, but it is a considerable cross-cultural achievement that expands the horizons and opportunities for both countries.

The second special moment came after the game finished with a narrow Swans victory when the two players of African descent, Aliir Aliir of the Swans and Majak Daw of North Melbourne, were interviewed together. Aliir, Kenyan-born and Daw, Sudanese-born, like so many Indigenous Australian players do in far greater numbers, represent the best in sport: individual achievement against the odds, economic and social inclusion, and successful multiculturalism.

John Warhurst is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University