More than a game

David Horspool

£12.99

Available on back-order

Sport is an enduring element of British life and culture. In all its variety, it touches on so many significant aspects of past and present: national identity, class, gender, the relationship between country and town, the rise of commerce, the evolution of ethical debate. Our sporting arenas have witnessed triumphs and heartbreaks that have become part of the national narrative. For a country so obsessed with the invention, playing and watching of sport, the story of how it has come to reflect us remains untold. 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; and more.

ISBN: 9781529363289 Category:

Description

A Times Best Sports Book of 2023

‘Fascinating’ Daily Telegraph

‘Lively, rich and readable’ The Spectator

‘Thoughtful and entertaining’ Guardian

‘Completely eye-opening – every page contains a gem’ Marina Hyde

The remarkable stories of how sport shaped the British people.

The history of Britain is inseparable from our love affair with sport. Many of our most dramatic social shifts have played out in sporting arenas: cricket and class mobility, rugby and regional rivalry, tennis and gender equality, golf and battles for land, boxing and race-relations. The sporting theatre has even accelerated radical change via heroes including independence fighters, suffragettes and Jewish bare-knuckle boxers crashing the established order. From jousting between kingdoms to the rise of the Commonwealth Games at the end of the imperial era, More Than a Game is the fascinating account of the games, players and audiences that have defined Britain’s past.

Additional information

Weight 0.24 kg
Dimensions 19.6 × 12.8 × 2.4 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

336

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

306.4830941 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

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