More Than a Game

Synopsis

The story of how the British shaped sport, and sport shaped the British. Sport is an enduring element of British life and culture. Few other strands of Britain's history touch 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. And that's apart from the on-field action - the 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. More Than a Game tracks each game as a driver of social change, a vibrant expression of Britain's identity: 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 a unique, 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. The history of Britain in sport is a history of popular heroes and pantomime villains, of shared and contested passions and loyalties, of winning and losing. More Than a Game captures these iconic stories, revealing how sport has infiltrated every part of British life, from top to bottom, cementing its place as the ultimate theatre of Britain's past, and its present.(P)2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited