A Cultural History Of Sport In The Age Of Industry

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A Cultural History of Sport in the Age of Industry

Author : Mike Huggins
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 135028307X
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cultural History of Sport in the Age of Industry by : Mike Huggins

Download or read book A Cultural History of Sport in the Age of Industry written by Mike Huggins and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Cultural History of Sport in the Age of Industry covers the period 1800 to 1920. Over this period, sport become increasingly global, some sports were radically altered, sports clubs proliferated, and new team games - such as baseball, basketball and the various forms of football - were created, codified, commercialized, and professionalized. Yet this was also an age of cultural and political tensions, when issues around the role of women, social class, ethnicity and race, imperial relationships, nation-building, and amateur and professional approaches were all shaping sport. At the same time, increasing urbanization, population, real wages and leisure time drove demand for sport ever higher, and the institutionalization and regulation of sport accelerated. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Sport presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport and its ever-changing social, cultural, political, and economic context and impact. The themes covered in each volume are the purpose of sport; sporting time and sporting space; products, training and technology; rules and order; conflict and accommodation; inclusion, exclusion and segregation; minds, bodies and identities; representation. Mike Huggins is Emeritus Professor at the University of Cumbria, UK. Volume 5 in the Cultural History of Sport set General Editors: Wray Vamplew, Mark Dyreson, and John McClelland

A Cultural History of Sport in the Modern Age

Author : Steven A. Riess
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1350283096
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cultural History of Sport in the Modern Age by : Steven A. Riess

Download or read book A Cultural History of Sport in the Modern Age written by Steven A. Riess and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Cultural History of Sport in the Modern Age covers the period 1920 to today. Over this time, world-wide participation in sport has been shaped by economic developments, communication and transportation innovations, declining racism, diplomacy, political ideologies, feminization, democratization, as well as increasing professionalization and commercialization. Sport has now become both a global cultural force and one of the deepest ways in which individual nations express their myths, beliefs, values, traditions and realities. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Sport presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport and its ever-changing social, cultural, political, and economic context and impact. The themes covered in each volume are the purpose of sport; sporting time and sporting space; products, training and technology; rules and order; conflict and accommodation; inclusion, exclusion and segregation; minds, bodies and identities; representation. Steven A. Riess is Professor Emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University, USA. Volume 6 in the Cultural History of Sport set General Editors: Wray Vamplew, Mark Dyreson, and John McClelland

A Cultural History of Sport in Antiquity

Author : Paul Christesen
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1350282960
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cultural History of Sport in Antiquity by : Paul Christesen

Download or read book A Cultural History of Sport in Antiquity written by Paul Christesen and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Cultural History of Sport in Antiquity covers the period 800 BCE to 600 CE. From the founding of the Olympics and Rome's celebratory games, sport permeated the cultural life of Greco-Roman antiquity almost as it does our own. Gymnasiums, public baths, monumental arenas, and circuses for chariot racing were constructed, and athletic contests proliferated. Sports-themed household objects were very popular, whilst the exploits of individual athletes, gladiators, and charioteers were immortalized in poetry, monuments, and the mosaic floors of the wealthy. This rich sporting culture attests to the importance of leisure among the middle and upper classes of the Greco-Roman world, but by 600 CE rising costs, barbarian invasions, and Christianity had swept it all away. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Sport presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport and its ever-changing social, cultural, political, and economic context and impact. The themes covered in each volume are the purpose of sport; sporting time and sporting space; products, training and technology; rules and order; conflict and accommodation; inclusion, exclusion and segregation; minds, bodies and identities; representation. Paul Christesen is Professor at Dartmouth College, USA. Charles Stocking is Associate Professor at Western University, Canada. Volume 1 in the Cultural History of Sport set General Editors: Wray Vamplew, Mark Dyreson, and John McClelland

A Cultural History of Sport in the Age of Enlightenment

Author : Rebekka von Mallinckrodt
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1350283061
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cultural History of Sport in the Age of Enlightenment by : Rebekka von Mallinckrodt

Download or read book A Cultural History of Sport in the Age of Enlightenment written by Rebekka von Mallinckrodt and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Cultural History of Sport in the Age of Enlightenment covers the period 1650 to 1800, a period often seen as a time of decline in sporting practice and literature. In fact, a rich sporting culture existed and sports were practised by both men and women at all levels of society. The Enlightenment called into question many of the earlier notions of religion, gender, and rank which had previously shaped sporting activities and also initiated the commercialization, professionalization and associativity which were to define modern sport. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Sport presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport and its ever-changing social, cultural, political, and economic context and impact. The themes covered in each volume are the purpose of sport; sporting time and sporting space; products, training and technology; rules and order; conflict and accommodation; inclusion, exclusion and segregation; minds, bodies and identities; representation. Rebekka von Mallinckrodt is Professor at the University of Bremen, Germany. Volume 4 in the Cultural History of Sport set General Editors: Wray Vamplew, Mark Dyreson, and John McClelland

Sport

Author : Richard D. Mandell
Publisher : iUniverse
ISBN 13 : 1583482822
Total Pages : 390 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (834 download)

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Book Synopsis Sport by : Richard D. Mandell

Download or read book Sport written by Richard D. Mandell and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 1999 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today's calender is set in the minds of many people by the World Series, Wimbledon, the Super Bowl, and the World Cup, rather than by months and days. Sport must mean something. What? Richard Mandell's Sport: A Cultural History shows that sport has always vividly illustrated and reinforced the existing social and moral order. Considering that much of modern sport has evolved in England and America, it is remarkable that so few comprehensive serious studies of sport have appeared in English. This fascinatingly written, generously illustrated volume fills a gap in the literature of world cultural history. The author deals here not only with sport in the classical world where the Olympics were born, but also with sport in early industrial England, China, Japan, and modern America.

A Cultural History of Sport in the Medieval Age

Author : Noel Fallows
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1350283029
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cultural History of Sport in the Medieval Age by : Noel Fallows

Download or read book A Cultural History of Sport in the Medieval Age written by Noel Fallows and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Cultural History of Sport in the Medieval Age covers the period 600 to 1450. Lacking any viable ancient models, sport evolved into two distinct forms, divided by class. Male and female aristocrats hunted and knights engaged in jousting and tournaments, transforming increasingly outdated modes of warfare into brilliant spectacle. Meanwhile, simpler sports provided recreational distraction from the dangerously unsettled conditions of everyday life. Running, jumping, wrestling, and many ball games - soccer, cricket, baseball, golf, and tennis – had their often violent beginnings in this period. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Sport presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport and its ever-changing social, cultural, political, and economic context and impact. The themes covered in each volume are the purpose of sport; sporting time and sporting space; products, training and technology; rules and order; conflict and accommodation; inclusion, exclusion and segregation; minds, bodies and identities; representation. Noel Fallows is Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Georgia, USA. Volume 2 in the Cultural History of Sport set General Editors: Wray Vamplew, Mark Dyreson, and John McClelland

A Cultural History of Sport in the Renaissance

Author : Alessandro Arcangeli
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1350283045
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cultural History of Sport in the Renaissance by : Alessandro Arcangeli

Download or read book A Cultural History of Sport in the Renaissance written by Alessandro Arcangeli and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Cultural History of Sport in the Renaissance covers the period 1450 to 1650. Outwardly, Renaissance sports resembled their medieval forebears, but the incorporation of athletics into the educational curriculum signalled a change. As part of the scientific revolution, sport now became the object of intellectual analysis. Numerous books were written on the medical benefits of sport and on the best way to joust, fence, train horses and ride, play ball games, swim, practice archery, wrestle, or become an acrobat. Sport became the visible sign of the mind's control over the physical body, such control often becoming an end in itself with some sports shaped more by decorum than exercise. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Sport presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport and its ever-changing social, cultural, political, and economic context and impact. The themes covered in each volume are the purpose of sport; sporting time and sporting space; products, training and technology; rules and order; conflict and accommodation; inclusion, exclusion and segregation; minds, bodies and identities; representation. Alessandro Arcangeli is Associate Professor at the University of Verona, Italy. Volume 3 in the Cultural History of Sport set General Editors: Wray Vamplew, Mark Dyreson, and John McClelland

A Cultural History of Sport in the Medieval Age

Author : Noel Fallows
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 1350023973
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (5 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cultural History of Sport in the Medieval Age by : Noel Fallows

Download or read book A Cultural History of Sport in the Medieval Age written by Noel Fallows and published by . This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A cultural history of sport in the Medieval Age covers the period 600 to 450. Lacking any viable ancient models, sport evolved into two distinct forms, divided by class. Male and female artistocrats hunted and knights engaged in jousting and tournaments, transforming increasingly outdated modes of warfare into brilliant spectacle. Meanwhile, simpler sports provided recreational distraction from the dangerously unsettled conditions of everyday life. Running, jumping, wrestling, and many ball games - soccer, cricket, baseball, golf, and tennis - had their often violent beginnings in this period. A Cultural History of Sport presents the first extensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport. Chapter titles are identical across each of the volumes. This gives the choice of reading about a specific period in one of the volumes, or following a theme across history by reading the relevant chapter in each of the six. The themes (and chapter titles) are: The purpose of sport; sporting time and sporting space; products, training and technology; rules and order; conflict and accommodation; inclusion, exclusion and segregation; minds, bodies and identities; representation.

A Cultural History of Sport in the Renaissance

Author : Alessandro Arcangeli
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1350283037
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cultural History of Sport in the Renaissance by : Alessandro Arcangeli

Download or read book A Cultural History of Sport in the Renaissance written by Alessandro Arcangeli and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Cultural History of Sport in the Renaissance covers the period 1450 to 1650. Outwardly, Renaissance sports resembled their medieval forebears, but the incorporation of athletics into the educational curriculum signalled a change. As part of the scientific revolution, sport now became the object of intellectual analysis. Numerous books were written on the medical benefits of sport and on the best way to joust, fence, train horses and ride, play ball games, swim, practice archery, wrestle, or become an acrobat. Sport became the visible sign of the mind's control over the physical body, such control often becoming an end in itself with some sports shaped more by decorum than exercise. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Sport presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport and its ever-changing social, cultural, political, and economic context and impact. The themes covered in each volume are the purpose of sport; sporting time and sporting space; products, training and technology; rules and order; conflict and accommodation; inclusion, exclusion and segregation; minds, bodies and identities; representation. Alessandro Arcangeli is Associate Professor at the University of Verona, Italy. Volume 3 in the Cultural History of Sport set General Editors: Wray Vamplew, Mark Dyreson, and John McClelland

Sport in Industrial America, 1850-1920

Author : Steven A. Riess
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118537823
Total Pages : 347 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (185 download)

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Book Synopsis Sport in Industrial America, 1850-1920 by : Steven A. Riess

Download or read book Sport in Industrial America, 1850-1920 written by Steven A. Riess and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-11-20 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sport in Industrial America, 1850-1920 presents the second edition of Stephen A. Riess’s well-loved synthesis of the development of sport during one of the most transformational times in the nation’s history. New edition maintains the book’s acclaimed level of research, analysis, and readability Explores topics including urbanization, ethnicity, class, sport in educational institutions, women in sport, and sport’s role in manifesting city, regional, and national pride. Includes an entirely new chapter on the globalization of American sport Includes a new bank of photographs and images. Features a newly revised and updated Bibliographical Essay

A Cultural History of Sport in Antiquity

Author : Paul Christesen
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 1350023965
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (5 download)

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Book Synopsis A Cultural History of Sport in Antiquity by : Paul Christesen

Download or read book A Cultural History of Sport in Antiquity written by Paul Christesen and published by . This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From gladiatorial combat to knightly tournaments and from hunting to games and gambling, sport has been central to human culture. A Cultural History of Sport presents the first extensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport. Chapter titles are identical across each of the volumes. This gives the choice of reading about a specific period in one of the volumes, or following a theme across history by reading the relevant chapter in each of the six. The themes (and chapter titles) are: The Purpose of Sport; Sporting Time and Sporting Space; Products, Training and Technology; Rules and Order; Conflict and Accommodation; Inclusion, Exclusion and Segregation; Minds, Bodies and Identities; Representation. The six volumes cover: 1 - Antiquity (800 BCE to 600 CE); 2 - Medieval Age (600 to 1450); 3 - Renaissance (1450 to 1650); 4 - Age of Enlightenment (1650 to 1800); 5 - Age of Industry (1800 to 1920); 6 - Modern Age (1920 to present). The page extent for the pack is approximately 1776pp. Each volume opens with Notes on Contributors and an Introduction and concludes with Notes, Bibliography, and an Index. A Cultural History of Sport is part of The Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available both as printed hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a one-off purchase and tangible reference for their shelves, or as part of a fully-searchable digital library available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access (see www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com).

Sports in American History

Author : Gerald R. Gems
Publisher : Human Kinetics
ISBN 13 : 1718203047
Total Pages : 418 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (182 download)

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Book Synopsis Sports in American History by : Gerald R. Gems

Download or read book Sports in American History written by Gerald R. Gems and published by Human Kinetics. This book was released on 2022-04-19 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization, Third Edition With HKPropel Access, helps students grasp the compelling evolution of American sporting practices. This text examines sports history as a social and cultural phenomenon, generates a better understanding of current practices in sport, and considers future developments in American sport. This comprehensive resource explores sport through various historical periods—including premodern America, colonial times, and the modern era. Sports in American History, Third Edition, features critical new content that will provide a framework for understanding how and why sport intersects with many facets of American society: Examination of how women, racial minorities, and ethnic and religious groups have influenced U.S. sporting culture Highlights of contemporary issues affecting sport in the twenty-first century, including the Covid-19 pandemic; social justice movements; changes in name, image, and likeness policy; and sports technology Reorganized content about sporting experiences in early America that highlight the most influential moments Updated People and Places features and International Perspective sidebars that introduce key figures in sports history to provide a global understanding of sport Full-length articles from the scholarly journal Sport History Review, delivered online through HKPropel, that supplement the article excerpts and associated discussion questions found in the text Sports in American History, Third Edition, is unique in its level of detail, broad time frame, and focus on the evolving definitions of physical activity and games. Primary documents—including newspaper excerpts, illustrations, photographs, historical writings, quotations, and posters—provide firsthand accounts that will not only inform and fascinate students but also provide a well-rounded perspective on the historical development of American sport. Time lines of major milestones in sport and society provide context in each chapter, and an extensive bibliography features primary and secondary sources in American sports history. A starting point into the intriguing field of sports history, this book will help students better understand the complexities of sport in the American experience and grasp how cultural factors and historical events have shaped sport differently in the United States than in other parts of the world. Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is not included with this ebook but may be purchased separately.

Games People Played

Author : Wray Vamplew
Publisher : Reaktion Books
ISBN 13 : 1789144566
Total Pages : 455 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (891 download)

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Book Synopsis Games People Played by : Wray Vamplew

Download or read book Games People Played written by Wray Vamplew and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now in paperback, this first global history of sports offers all spectators and participants a reason to cheer—and to think. Games People Played is, surprisingly, the first global history of sports. The book shows how sports have been practiced, experienced, and made meaningful by players and fans throughout history. It assesses how sports developed and diffused across the globe, as well as many other aspects, from emotion, discrimination, and conviviality; to politics, nationalism, and protest; and how economics has turned sports into a huge consumer industry. It shows how sports are sociable and health-giving, and also contribute to charity. However, it also examines their dark side: sports’ impact on the environment, the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and match-fixing. Covering everything from curling to baseball, boxing to motor racing, this book will appeal to anyone who plays, watches, and enjoys sports, and wants to know more about their history and global impact.

The Oxford Handbook of Sports History

Author : Robert Edelman
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199858918
Total Pages : 577 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Sports History by : Robert Edelman

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Sports History written by Robert Edelman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Practiced and watched by billions, sport is a global phenomenon. Sport history is a burgeoning sub-field that explores sport in all forms to help answer fundamental questions that scholars examine. This volume provides a reference for sport scholars and an accessible introduction to those who are new to the sub-field.

The New American Sport History

Author : S. W. Pope
Publisher : University of Illinois Press
ISBN 13 : 9780252065675
Total Pages : 450 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (656 download)

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Book Synopsis The New American Sport History by : S. W. Pope

Download or read book The New American Sport History written by S. W. Pope and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The New American Sport History sixteen scholars, many of them among the best known in the field, explore topics as diverse as the historical debate over black athletic superiority, the "selling" of sport in society, the eroticism of athletic activity, sexual fears of women athletes, and the marketing of the marathon. In line with the changing nature of sport history as a field of study, this volume focuses less on "traditional" topics and more on themes of class, gender, race, ethnicity, and national identity, which also define the larger parameters of social and cultural history. It is the first anthology to situation sport history within the broader fields of social history and cultural studies. Contributors are Melvin L. Adelman, William J. Baker, Pamela L. Cooper, Mark Dyreson, Gerald R. Gems, Elliott J. Gorn, Allen Guttmann, Stephen H. Hardy, Peter Levine, Donald J. Mrozek, Michael Oriard, S. W. Pope, Benjamin G. Rader, Steven A. Riess, Nancy L. Struna, and David K. Wiggins.

Sport in Capitalist Society

Author : Tony Collins
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135081999
Total Pages : 184 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (35 download)

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Book Synopsis Sport in Capitalist Society by : Tony Collins

Download or read book Sport in Capitalist Society written by Tony Collins and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-04-12 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why are the Olympic Games the driving force behind a clampdown on civil liberties? What makes sport an unwavering ally of nationalism and militarism? Is sport the new opiate of the masses? These and many other questions are answered in this new radical history of sport by leading historian of sport and society, Professor Tony Collins. Tracing the history of modern sport from its origins in the burgeoning capitalist economy of mid-eighteenth century England to the globalised corporate sport of today, the book argues that, far from the purity of sport being ‘corrupted’ by capitalism, modern sport is as much a product of capitalism as the factory, the stock exchange and the unemployment line. Based on original sources, the book explains how sport has been shaped and moulded by the major political and economic events of the past two centuries, such as the French Revolution, the rise of modern nationalism and imperialism, the Russian Revolution, the Cold War and the imposition of the neo-liberal agenda in the last decades of the twentieth century. It highlights the symbiotic relationship between the media and sport, from the simultaneous emergence of print capitalism and modern sport in Georgian England to the rise of Murdoch’s global satellite television empire in the twenty-first century, and for the first time it explores the alternative, revolutionary models of sport in the early twentieth century. Sport in a Capitalist Society is the first sustained attempt to explain the emergence of modern sport around the world as an integral part of the globalisation of capitalism. It is essential reading for anybody with an interest in the history or sociology of sport, or the social and cultural history of the modern world.

The Beginnings of a Commercial Sporting Culture in Britain, 1793–1850

Author : Mr Adrian Harvey
Publisher : Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN 13 : 1409479528
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis The Beginnings of a Commercial Sporting Culture in Britain, 1793–1850 by : Mr Adrian Harvey

Download or read book The Beginnings of a Commercial Sporting Culture in Britain, 1793–1850 written by Mr Adrian Harvey and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2013-06-28 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many historians have described early industrial Britain as a 'bleak age' where the masses possessed little time, energy or money to devote to sport. Adrian Harvey reveals a very different picture of Britain at this time to show a rich, diverse and commercial sporting culture accessible to almost everyone. Far from being tied to a recreational calendar that was dependent upon established, traditional holidays, sporting events occurred within their own leisure timetable. Indeed, by the 1840s, it was common for sporting events to be conducted on a regular basis every week. Harvey demonstrates how newspapers and periodicals began to recognize that sport had the capacity to capture the public's imagination, and the importance of the spectating audience transformed the staging of events into a major source of revenue. The increasing amount of money involved in sport created a situation in which the participants were often unable to regulate and administer activity, especially as they were confronted with instances of substantial corruption and fraud. The public perception of activity in many sports changed dramatically, with the existence of professionals expanding and the social elite withdrawing from the various roles that they had previously performed as organizers, supervisors and competitors. This is the first in-depth study of sporting culture in Britain during the first half of the nineteenth century that is based upon sporting periodicals, newspapers and sporting archives. Harvey depicts a society that is not suffering from a severe attack on recreations by commerce, industry and government, but one in which the principal problems experienced stemmed from criminal activity. As such, this book provides a much-needed revision of many misconceptions about the early history of sport in Britain.