More Than A Game - David Horspool
“The story of how the British shaped sport, and sport shaped the British.”
This clever book explores that link - looking at the social history of sport in Britain and the myriad of ways it has shaped the national culture.
“David Horspool tracks each game as a driver of social change: horse-racing's obsession with blood and money turned an aristocratic pastime into a national sport; boxing promoted opportunity for ethnic minorities, while simultaneously enforcing a regime of discrimination; golf rehearsed a perennial battle over Britain's landscape; the football fan created an exuberant, often troubled culture at the centre of British life; and the Empire and Commonwealth Games emerged as an unexpected response to the end of the imperial story.”
For fans of Geoff Dyer, Jon Ronson and I suppose Sport!!
“The story of how the British shaped sport, and sport shaped the British.”
This clever book explores that link - looking at the social history of sport in Britain and the myriad of ways it has shaped the national culture.
“David Horspool tracks each game as a driver of social change: horse-racing's obsession with blood and money turned an aristocratic pastime into a national sport; boxing promoted opportunity for ethnic minorities, while simultaneously enforcing a regime of discrimination; golf rehearsed a perennial battle over Britain's landscape; the football fan created an exuberant, often troubled culture at the centre of British life; and the Empire and Commonwealth Games emerged as an unexpected response to the end of the imperial story.”
For fans of Geoff Dyer, Jon Ronson and I suppose Sport!!
“The story of how the British shaped sport, and sport shaped the British.”
This clever book explores that link - looking at the social history of sport in Britain and the myriad of ways it has shaped the national culture.
“David Horspool tracks each game as a driver of social change: horse-racing's obsession with blood and money turned an aristocratic pastime into a national sport; boxing promoted opportunity for ethnic minorities, while simultaneously enforcing a regime of discrimination; golf rehearsed a perennial battle over Britain's landscape; the football fan created an exuberant, often troubled culture at the centre of British life; and the Empire and Commonwealth Games emerged as an unexpected response to the end of the imperial story.”
For fans of Geoff Dyer, Jon Ronson and I suppose Sport!!