Showing titles in Sociology of Sports

'Magnificent . . . Goldblatt is the doyen of sports historians and brings to this account his forensic and telling eye for detail' - Mail on Sunday A Sunday Times Best Sports Book of the Year The epic exploration of society, politics, and economics in the twenty-first century through the prism...

Once upon a time football was run by modest local businessmen. Today it is the plaything of billionaire oligarchs, staggeringly wealthy from oil and gas, from royalty, or from murkier sources. But who are these new masters of the universe? Where did all their money come from? And what do they want with our beautiful game? In The Billionaires Club James Montague delves deeper than anyone else has dared, to tell this story for the first time.

Bloomsbury presents To the Limit by Michael Crawley, read by Raj Ghatak 'A fascinating and multilayered exploration of what it means to endure' Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure The author of Out of Thin Air, winner of the Margaret Mead Award 2022, journeys through different cultures to find out...

The Wizards FC was a team of former school friends who - with the help of a few star ringers - slogged their way through mud, skinheads, and Staffordshire bull terriers to win the Edmonton Sunday League. Team captain Ewan Flynn brings alive a world of young men giving it their all on sloping pitches a million miles from the glamour of the Premier League, and officials who volunteer to maintain some sort of order. Along the way, he charts the bittersweet stories of mates who brought success to the Wizards.

Dynamite and Davey: The Explosive Lives of the British Bulldogs is the triumphant but ultimately tragic story of Tom Billington and Davey Boy Smith. Cousins born just a couple of years apart in a small mining town near Wigan, Tom and Davey discovered the art of wrestling as schoolboys. Tom went on to become the Dynamite Kid, arguably the greatest and most pioneering wrestler in history, but his short temper and determination to reach the top of a sport dominated by naturally bigger men would be his undoing.

Brought to you by Penguin. This audio edition features an exclusive Q&A with Jordan. Captain, father, leader, a fearless ambassador for the causes he believes in and a world-class midfielder, Jordan Henderson is all of these things - and it is why he is one of the most widely respected players...

In our increasingly polarised society, having productive discussions about social justice issues has never been more challenging, or more crucial. From the persistent ('not all men,' 'I don't see colour') to the insidious ('to play devil's advocate...', 'climate change is coming'), too often, antagonistic or problematic responses threaten to distract and derail our most urgent conversations. Tackling twenty of the most enduring conversation-stoppers, No Offence, But... equips listeners with the knowledge, tools and context to respond with confidence.

Ned Boulting has noticed something. It's to do with bikes. They're everywhere. And so are their riders. Some of these riders seem to be sporting sideburns and a few of them are winning things. Big things. Now Ned wants to know how on earth it came to this. And what, exactly is 'this'. In On the...

Bloomsbury presents Out of Thin Air by Michael Crawley, read by Raj Ghatak. ‘Full of wonderful insights and lessons from a world where the ability to run is viewed as something almost mysterious and magical.’ – Adharanand Finn, author of Running with the Kenyans What we can learn from...

Brought to you by Penguin. Updated to include the Champions League Victory 2019 “It is the intensity of the football, of how the people live football in Liverpool, all the Liverpool fans around the world. It is not a normal club, it is a special club.” Jürgen Klopp Jürgen Klopp is the...

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Could this be the best book on football ever?” —Tyler Cowen "Another masterwork from one of our greatest minds.” —Esquire “[An] essential playoff-season read.” —People A hilarious but nonetheless groundbreaking contribution to the argument...

USA TODAY BESTSELLER NPR's Book of the Day New York Times bestselling authors Mike Schur and Joe Posnanski travel the world in a hilarious and heartwarming celebration of fans and the things they love: baseball, basketball, chess, darts, football, futbol, Indigenous North American stickball...

Master of the no-look goal and Anfield favourite, Roberto 'Bobby' Firmino, signed for Liverpool in July 2015. Over the next eight years - and seven winners' medals - he established himself as one of the club's most important players in recent years for his audacious skill, impressive goal scoring, and beaming smile. Jürgen Klopp saw Firmino as the on-pitch 'engine' that drove the club's counter-pressing strategy and together with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, Firmino formed a formidable attacking trio.

After a lifetime of writing about the professional sport, Michael Bamberger, “the poet laureate of golf” (GOLF magazine), delivers an exhilarating love letter to the amateur game as it’s played—and lived—by the rest of us. Over Michael Bamberger’s celebrated writing career, he has...

Brought to you by Penguin. A BBC Arts & The Reading Agency's Big Sporting Read selection A hilarious, heartfelt, nostalgia-infused story of sport, loss and the journey of a lifetime. After the sudden death of his older brother, Dan, Jon Harvey turned to the thing that had provided their...

In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of soccer's rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world's most popular sport - now poised to fully establish itself in the USA. Already celebrated internationally, The Ball Is Round illuminates soccer's role in the political and social histories of modern societies, but never loses sight of the beauty, joy, and excitement of the game itself. 

Brought to you by Penguin. Hurling is Ireland’s national game – a source of fascination and pride, even to people who have never played it. Ciarán Murphy, a lifelong club footballer, used to be one of those people. Then he spent a summer trying to play hurling with a tiny club in the West...

'Bravura on the ground reporting' David Goldblatt, award-winning author of The Ball is Round 'This is an important book' Simon Kuper, bestselling author of Soccernomics, Chums and Barça 'Compelling' The Times 'A subtle examination of the complex interplay between global ambition, economic power...

'GREAT' Independent 'TERRIFIC' Guardian 'WONDERFUL' Time Out 'QUALITY' Mail on Sunday 'DEFINITIVE' FourFourTwo Winner of the William Hill Sports Book Award Featured in FourFourTwo's list of 'The 10 Best Football Books Ever' Featured in Esquire's 'Best Sports Books Ever Written' Throughout the...

The Sports Book Award-winning true story of the beautiful game. 'The closest thing to a spokesman there is for English football.' Sunday Times It's time to fix football . . . Football is the people's game. A sport accessible to everyone and enjoyed by millions around the world. But football is...