- Table View
- List View
The First and the Fastest: Comparing Robin Knox-Johnston and Ellen MacArthur's Historic Round-the-World Voyages
by Nigel SharpThis is the story of two single-handed non-stop round-the-world voyages: Robin Knox-Johnston’s in 1968/69 and Ellen MacArthur’s in 2004/05. Although there were similarities – both voyages started and finished in Falmouth, for instance, and neither sailor was in a conventional race – the story is mainly one of contrasts, mostly as a consequence of thirty-six years of technological developments. These gave MacArthur the opportunity for a considerably faster voyage, but that didn’t necessarily make things any easier for her. When Knox-Johnston set sail in Suhaili, no one knew if it was possible for a human being or a boat to survive such a voyage; and when MacArthur commissioned her boat B&Q, many considered that a high-performance trimaran of that size could not be safely sailed around the world by one person. Whatever comparisons are made, the question as to which was the greater achievement is futile: both voyages were utterly remarkable. MacArthur is no longer 'the fastest', of course – her time has since been beaten by three Frenchmen – but she is still the fastest British solo circumnavigator, while Knox-Johnston’s record as 'the first' will be there for all time.
Fan-tastic Sporting Stories: 300 True Tales of Fans Who Stole the Limelight
by Graham SharpeFor some fans, a ringside seat just isn't close enough to the action. Stretching from the benign to the malign, from the entertaining to the insane, and from the sublime to the ridiculous, this compelling compendium contains over 300 true tales of fanatical fans who stole the spotlight from their sporting heroes. This is the good, the bad and the ugly side of spectator intervention - from streakers to rioters, and beyond. We've all felt the thrill of cheering on our sporting heroes, but there's a fine line between the mere fan and the true fanatic and this absorbing new book from Graham Sharpe well and truly crosses it. With its weird and wild tales of fan participation, Fan-tastic Sporting Stories! is essential reading for fans of any and every sport. Whatever your team, whatever your game, you won't help but find this collection absolutely fan-tastic!
Free the Manchester United One
by Graham SharpeIn 1915 one of the most shameful occasions in sporting history took place. The players of Manchester United and Liverpool conspired to arrange that United would win their game with Liverpool by 2-0, thus permitting the conspirators to cash in on bets placed on that pre-arranged score-line of odds of 7/1. As a result, United did stay up but eight players were banned for life, one lost his life, the reputations of the two clubs were permanently tainted and football's image severely impaired. This is the amazing tale of that fateful Good Friday.
Molecular Exercise Physiology: An Introduction
by Adam P. SharplesFully revised and expanded, the second edition of Molecular Exercise Physiology offers a student-friendly introduction. It introduces a history documenting the emergence of molecular biology techniques to investigate exercise physiology, the methodology used, exercise genetics and epigenetics, and the molecular mechanisms that lead to adaptation after different types of exercise, with explicit links to outcomes in sport performance, nutrition, physical activity and clinical exercise. Structured around key topics in sport and exercise science and featuring contributions from pioneering scientists, such as Nobel Prize winners, this edition includes new chapters based on cutting-edge research in epigenetics and muscle memory, satellite cells, exercise in cancer, at altitude, and in hot and cold climates. Chapters include learning objectives, structured guides to further reading, review questions, overviews of work by key researchers and box discussions from important pioneers in the field, making it a complete resource for any molecular exercise physiology course. The book includes cell and molecular biology laboratory methods for dissertation and research projects in molecular exercise physiology and muscle physiology. This book is essential reading for upper-level undergraduate or postgraduate courses in cellular and molecular exercise physiology and muscle physiology. It is a valuable resource for any student with an advanced interest in exercise physiology in both sport performance and clinical settings.
The Palgrave Handbook of Dark Tourism Studies
by Richard Sharpley Philip R. Stone Leanne White Rudi Hartmann Tony SeatonThis handbook is the definitive reference text for the study of ‘dark tourism’, the contemporary commodification of death within international visitor economies. Shining a light on dark tourism and visitor sites of death or disaster allows us to better understand issues of global tourism mobilities, tourist experiences, the co-creation of touristic meaning, and ‘difficult heritage’ processes and practices. Adopting multidisciplinary perspectives from authors representing every continent, the book combines ‘real-world’ viewpoints from both industry and the media with conceptual underpinning, and offers comprehensive and grounded perspectives of ‘heritage that hurts’. The handbook adopts a progressive and thematic approach, including critical accounts of dark tourism history, dark tourism philosophy and theory, dark tourism in society and culture, dark tourism and heritage landscapes, the ‘dark tourist’ experience, and the business of dark tourism. The Palgrave Handbook of Dark Tourism Studies will appeal to students and scholars with an interest in aspects of memorialisation and morality in sociology, death studies, history, geography, cultural studies, philosophy, psychology, business management, museology and heritage tourism studies, politics, religious studies, and anthropology.
Bring Me the Head of Trevor Brooking: Three Decades of East End Soap Opera at West Ham United
by Ben Sharratt Kirk BlowsWest Ham United last won a major trophy in 1980, but the roller-coaster ride of the past three decades has produced enough twists and turns, heroes and villains and contrasting emotions to grace the script of the most thrilling TV soap opera.Since Trevor Brooking headed home the FA Cup final winner against Arsenal, the Hammers have experienced delight and despair in not so equal measure, with a cast of controversial characters - either adored or abhorred - playing the key roles in a tale of fact rather than fiction.The saving of the club by David Sullivan and David Gold, as West Ham stared into the financial abyss following the ill-fated Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson reign, is the latest chapter in a saga that includes numerous promotions and relegations, great escapes, contentious changes of ownership and management, internal feuds, bust-ups and power struggles, the Carlos Tevez affair and the passing of legends Ron Greenwood, John Lyall and Bobby Moore, as well as several false dawns in the endless quest for success.Including exclusive interviews with key protoganists, Bring Me the Head of Trevor Brooking tells - for the very first time - the inside story behind 60 of the most significant developments at Upton Park in the modern era. Whether examining the contributions of Paolo Di Canio, Harry Redknapp and Frank McAvennie or Gianfranco Zola, Marco Boogers and Iain Dowie, the book celebrates the good, the bad and the ugly of West Ham United.
Claret and Blue Blood: Pumping Life into West Ham United
by Ben Sharratt Kirk BlowsFrom the World Cup-winning days of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters to highly acclaimed modern-day heroes such as Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe, West Ham United supporters have always had the greatest affection for homegrown Hammers. Since the 1960s, talents such as Trevor Brooking, Tony Cottee, Paul Ince and Rio Ferdinand (who has twice hit the headlines as the world's most expensive defender following his move to Leeds and Manchester United) have been nurtured and brought through the club's ranks, ensuring the Hammers can rightly lay claim to having one of the country's most fruitful youth policies. In this revised and fully updated paperback edition, Claret and Blue Blood brings together all these characters and others for the very first time, including new chapters on Anton Ferdinand, Stephen Bywater and Kevin Horlock. Using exclusive new interviews, the authors present biographical pieces that collectively tell the story of West Ham United's evolution over the last half-century. Focusing on each player's roots, development and personal achievements, Claret and Blue Blood is a unique book that features key characters, candid conversations, successes, failures and controversies as it explores the very essence of West Ham United.
Collaborative Embodied Performance: Ecologies of Skill (Performance and Science: Interdisciplinary Dialogues)
by Nicola Shaughnessy John LutterbieThis book brings together scholarship in performance studies, cognitive science, sociology, literature, anthropology, psychology, architecture, philosophy and sport science to ask how tightly knit collaboration works. Innovative methodological approaches are applied to detailed case studies from martial arts, tango, social interaction, Body Weather, human-AI music composition, Front-of-House at the Globe Theatre, and failing at handstands. Each investigation exposes performance and theory as mutually revealing, informative and captivating.Short chapters fall into thematic clusters exploring embodied collaboration, cognition, and coordination, followed by commentaries from leading scholars in performance studies and cognitive science. Each brings to light different facets of the performance ecology present in the collaborative moment(s), equipping performance makers, students and researchers with theoretical, methodological and practical inspiration to delve deeper into their own embodied practices and critical thinking.
Collaborative Embodied Performance: Ecologies of Skill (Performance and Science: Interdisciplinary Dialogues)
by Nicola Shaughnessy John LutterbieThis book brings together scholarship in performance studies, cognitive science, sociology, literature, anthropology, psychology, architecture, philosophy and sport science to ask how tightly knit collaboration works. Innovative methodological approaches are applied to detailed case studies from martial arts, tango, social interaction, Body Weather, human-AI music composition, Front-of-House at the Globe Theatre, and failing at handstands. Each investigation exposes performance and theory as mutually revealing, informative and captivating.Short chapters fall into thematic clusters exploring embodied collaboration, cognition, and coordination, followed by commentaries from leading scholars in performance studies and cognitive science. Each brings to light different facets of the performance ecology present in the collaborative moment(s), equipping performance makers, students and researchers with theoretical, methodological and practical inspiration to delve deeper into their own embodied practices and critical thinking.
Housekeeper In The Headlines: Christmas In The King's Bed (royal Christmas Weddings) / Their Impossible Desert Match / Housekeeper In The Headlines / One Scandalous Christmas Eve (Mills And Boon Modern Ser.)
by Chantelle ShawThe tabloids revealed her shocking secret…He’ll reignite their extraordinary desire!
An Average Joe's Search For The Meaning Of Life
by David ShawDavid Shaw sees himself as an Average Joe.
The Hike
by Don ShawFreddy, Phil and Don are three grumpy old men, travelling at various speeds in the slow lane of retirement, at a loss to understand the mad modern world around them.Their chosen method of escape from all this is a shared weekly hike in the Peak District, come gale, hail, snow or torrential rain. They pass the time bumping into colourful and eccentric locals, but their real passion is bickering among themselves. Not only about the right path to take, but also about where they're all going at the fag end of life. Phil likes to dash up hills trying to beat his personal best, while Freddy plots how to sabotage him - teasing him at leisure and asking deep and difficult questions. Stuck in the middle, Don's only ambition is to stop the squabbling getting out of hand long enough to find a nice pub for lunch.As warm as the wind is cold, as dry as the lashing rain is wet, The Hike is a hilarious tale of bum-warmers, crayfish-fanciers, East German Trabant enthusiasts, bodger philosophers, sticky ginger cake, gorgeous countryside and the subtle art of 'onedownmanship'.
Spare Hearts
by Dorothy F Shaw T.D. Hoffman"Lace up those bowling shoes! Candy and Sterling are the perfect couple, and fans of sweet, sexy love stories will be chuckling and sighing all the way through. Spare Hearts is so much fun you'll want to read it twice." -- Megan Hart, NYT Bestselling author of The Space Between Us XXX Stuck in this dead-beat town for too long, Candy Jameson is itching for some action. And the magnetically sexy, Sterling Dey might just be her chance to get back in the game . . . at least for a night. Soon the sparks flying between Candy and Sterling ignite into a fiery encounter that scorches the lanes. But when Sterling wants more than just one night with Candy, she's not sure she's ready to bet her heart on a one-night stand. Former professional bowling champion Sterling Dey wants to reclaim his title. This sleepy alley in a small Texas town with no distractions is the perfect place to practice-until Sterling lays his eyes-and more-on the joint's sultry night manager. As attraction becomes more than desire and the pins start stacking up against them, Candy and Sterling's future may just come down to the roll of the ball.
The Book of Football Quotations
by Phil ShawThe greatest football quotations collection ever, now in its ninth edition.This compilation includes quotes from everyone – Shakespeare to Suarez, Camus to Cantona, Busby to Beckham – who has made an apt, pithy or comical comment about football. And not just footballers and managers either – fans, pundits, groundsmen, directors and wives all get to have their say too. Every subject is covered, from tactical debates to changing lifestyles, to produce a sometimes hilarious and always thought-provoking commentary on the game.‘My players are always the best players in the world, even if they aren’t’ - José Mourinho‘He was a quiet man, Eric Cantona, but he was a man of few words’ - David Beckham‘Sometimes when you aim for the stars you hit the moon’ - Ian Holloway
Tell Him He's Pele: The Greatest Collection of Humorous Football Quotations Ever!
by Phil ShawMy parents have always been there for me, ever since I was about seven - David BeckhamFor Tony to admit he is an alcoholic took an awful lot of bottle - Ian Wright on Tony AdamsI've been playing in a golf day for a boy seriously injured in a car accident. I had to drive like a lunatic to get here - Ray Houghton, TalkSport football pundit, on why he was late on-airReporter: What would you be if you weren't a footballer?Peter Crouch: A virgin.I've never been so certain about anything in my life. I want to be a coach. Or a manager. I'm not sure which - Phil NevilleFootballers may not be known for their profound insights, but it seems no one in the game is above a mixed metaphor or confused cliché. From Harry Redknapp to Martin O'Neill, Patrice Evra to Jason McAteer, see the funny side of the beautiful game with this hilarious collection of verbal own goals. Packed full of hilarious quotes, quips and misfires from the biggest names in football, Tell Him He's Pele is a must for everyone with a sense of humour.
Iconic Women in Sport: A Celebration of 38 Inspirational Sporting Icons
by Phil Shaw Candi WilliamsAn illustrated compendium of kickass women in sport, from around the world and throughout history, including legends like Billie Jean King and modern-day superstars like Simone Biles and Dina Asher-Smith. The perfect book to inspire any sports fan. Meet your new superheroesDiscover the fascinating stories behind 38 iconic and internationally renowned women in sport, all of them record-breakers, trailblazers and game-changers. Whether from the world of soccer, tennis, gymnastics, swimming, boxing or skiing, every one of these women has been a ground-breaker in her field. It’s time these individuals took centre stage and had their achievements celebrated the world over.Be empowered and inspired by their extraordinary stories, their awesome achievements and their wonder-words of wisdom with this pocketbook of remarkable women from across the globe and throughout history. Among others, you will learn about the incredible lives and achievements of:Simone BilesSerena WilliamsDina Asher-SmithRachael Heyhoe FlintJessica Ennis-HillNicola AdamsDanica PatrickPaula RadcliffeMichelle KwanMegan RapinoeEllen MacArthurIbtihaj MuhammadRonda RouseyEach inspiring profile also features a bespoke illustration.
Teach Yourself Cycling: The classic guide to life on two wheels
by Reg ShawFirst published in 1953, Teach Yourself Cycling is a beautiful, lovingly reproduced window into a distant age, where understanding the good manners of the road and enjoying the innocence of the family picnic dominated life on two wheels.Yet few vehicles have changed as little as the bicycle in the 65 years since this book first published. For all that they have become immeasurably lighter and better adapted to a range of terrains, the basic mechanics remain the same - and a deeply recognisable spirit of joy runs through this book, even though the author, Reginald Shaw, feels he needs to reassure his readers that cycling can be "a pleasurable activity as well as a mode of transport".This book is perfect for fans of cycling interested in how the art and practice of riding a bike has changed. From a stout defence of 'the good manners of the road' to a surge of enthusiasm when mapping out the itinerary of a good cycling holiday, this book is warm, interesting and enlightening.Since 1938, millions of people have learned to do the things they love with Teach Yourself. Welcome to the how-to guides that changed the modern world.
Master the Art of Swimming: Raising Your Performance With The Alexander Technique (Master The Art Of? Ser.)
by Steven ShawSwimming improves your flexibility, tones your body and can help to boost your self-esteem and produce a sense of well being. It is the nation's most popular sporting activity with 11.9 million people swimming regularly. However, most people don't know how to swim properly.
Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines
by Stuart SheaIn spring 1914, a new ballpark opened in Chicago. Hastily constructed after epic political maneuvering around Chicago’s and organized baseball’s hierarchies, the new Weeghman Park (named after its builder, fast-food magnate Charley Weeghman) was home to the Federal League’s Chicago Whales. The park would soon be known as Wrigley Field, one of the most emblematic and controversial baseball stadiums in America. In Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines, Stuart Shea provides a detailed and fascinating chronicle of this living historic landmark. The colorful history revealed in Wrigley Field shows how the stadium has evolved through the years to meet the shifting priorities of its owners and changing demands of its fans. While Wrigley Field today seems irreplaceable, we learn that from game one it has been the subject of endless debates over its future, its design, and its place in the neighborhood it calls home. To some, it is a hallowed piece of baseball history; to others, an icon of mismanagement and ineptitude. Shea deftly navigates the highs and lows, breaking through myths and rumors. And with another transformation imminent, he brings readers up to date on negotiations, giving much-needed historical context to the maneuvering. Wrigley Field is packed with facts, stories, and surprises that will captivate even the most fair-weather fan. From dollar signs (the Ricketts family paid $900 million for the team and stadium in 2009), to exploding hot dog carts (the Cubs lost that game 6–5), to the name of Billy Sianis’s curse-inducing goat (Sonovia), Shea uncovers the heart of the stadium’s history. As the park celebrates its centennial, Wrigley Field continues to prove that its colorful and dramatic history is more interesting than any of its mythology.
Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines
by Stuart SheaIn spring 1914, a new ballpark opened in Chicago. Hastily constructed after epic political maneuvering around Chicago’s and organized baseball’s hierarchies, the new Weeghman Park (named after its builder, fast-food magnate Charley Weeghman) was home to the Federal League’s Chicago Whales. The park would soon be known as Wrigley Field, one of the most emblematic and controversial baseball stadiums in America. In Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines, Stuart Shea provides a detailed and fascinating chronicle of this living historic landmark. The colorful history revealed in Wrigley Field shows how the stadium has evolved through the years to meet the shifting priorities of its owners and changing demands of its fans. While Wrigley Field today seems irreplaceable, we learn that from game one it has been the subject of endless debates over its future, its design, and its place in the neighborhood it calls home. To some, it is a hallowed piece of baseball history; to others, an icon of mismanagement and ineptitude. Shea deftly navigates the highs and lows, breaking through myths and rumors. And with another transformation imminent, he brings readers up to date on negotiations, giving much-needed historical context to the maneuvering. Wrigley Field is packed with facts, stories, and surprises that will captivate even the most fair-weather fan. From dollar signs (the Ricketts family paid $900 million for the team and stadium in 2009), to exploding hot dog carts (the Cubs lost that game 6–5), to the name of Billy Sianis’s curse-inducing goat (Sonovia), Shea uncovers the heart of the stadium’s history. As the park celebrates its centennial, Wrigley Field continues to prove that its colorful and dramatic history is more interesting than any of its mythology.
Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines
by Stuart SheaIn spring 1914, a new ballpark opened in Chicago. Hastily constructed after epic political maneuvering around Chicago’s and organized baseball’s hierarchies, the new Weeghman Park (named after its builder, fast-food magnate Charley Weeghman) was home to the Federal League’s Chicago Whales. The park would soon be known as Wrigley Field, one of the most emblematic and controversial baseball stadiums in America. In Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines, Stuart Shea provides a detailed and fascinating chronicle of this living historic landmark. The colorful history revealed in Wrigley Field shows how the stadium has evolved through the years to meet the shifting priorities of its owners and changing demands of its fans. While Wrigley Field today seems irreplaceable, we learn that from game one it has been the subject of endless debates over its future, its design, and its place in the neighborhood it calls home. To some, it is a hallowed piece of baseball history; to others, an icon of mismanagement and ineptitude. Shea deftly navigates the highs and lows, breaking through myths and rumors. And with another transformation imminent, he brings readers up to date on negotiations, giving much-needed historical context to the maneuvering. Wrigley Field is packed with facts, stories, and surprises that will captivate even the most fair-weather fan. From dollar signs (the Ricketts family paid $900 million for the team and stadium in 2009), to exploding hot dog carts (the Cubs lost that game 6–5), to the name of Billy Sianis’s curse-inducing goat (Sonovia), Shea uncovers the heart of the stadium’s history. As the park celebrates its centennial, Wrigley Field continues to prove that its colorful and dramatic history is more interesting than any of its mythology.
Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines
by Stuart SheaIn spring 1914, a new ballpark opened in Chicago. Hastily constructed after epic political maneuvering around Chicago’s and organized baseball’s hierarchies, the new Weeghman Park (named after its builder, fast-food magnate Charley Weeghman) was home to the Federal League’s Chicago Whales. The park would soon be known as Wrigley Field, one of the most emblematic and controversial baseball stadiums in America. In Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines, Stuart Shea provides a detailed and fascinating chronicle of this living historic landmark. The colorful history revealed in Wrigley Field shows how the stadium has evolved through the years to meet the shifting priorities of its owners and changing demands of its fans. While Wrigley Field today seems irreplaceable, we learn that from game one it has been the subject of endless debates over its future, its design, and its place in the neighborhood it calls home. To some, it is a hallowed piece of baseball history; to others, an icon of mismanagement and ineptitude. Shea deftly navigates the highs and lows, breaking through myths and rumors. And with another transformation imminent, he brings readers up to date on negotiations, giving much-needed historical context to the maneuvering. Wrigley Field is packed with facts, stories, and surprises that will captivate even the most fair-weather fan. From dollar signs (the Ricketts family paid $900 million for the team and stadium in 2009), to exploding hot dog carts (the Cubs lost that game 6–5), to the name of Billy Sianis’s curse-inducing goat (Sonovia), Shea uncovers the heart of the stadium’s history. As the park celebrates its centennial, Wrigley Field continues to prove that its colorful and dramatic history is more interesting than any of its mythology.
A Constraints-Led Approach to Swim Coaching (Routledge Studies in Constraints-Based Methodologies in Sport)
by Andrew SheaffMotor skill acquisition and athlete development practices are rapidly evolving. Positioned at the forefront of this evolution, the constraints-led approach encourages practitioners to consider the athlete as a whole person, with unique traits, abilities, and capacities. Accordingly, an athlete’s competitive success lies in the practitioner’s ability to adapt their programming to the unique needs of each athlete and to develop an understanding of the athlete-environment relationship. A Constraints-Led Approach to Swim Coaching applies contemporary motor skill acquisition and athlete development practices to swimming. This book encourages coaches to reconsider how they approach skill development in a sport that requires considerable physical training and highly efficient movement. It presents a framework for identifying the various constraints that determine the ability to perform at a high level. It then offers coaches practical examples to navigate the manipulation of constraints to support the development of physical capacities and the ability to effectively utilize those capacities through efficient movement. These frameworks are broadly inclusive to the global sports programming market. This book is written through a “conversive” voice and is accessible to a broad audience interested in athlete development and programming such as coaches, sport scientists, support staff, athletes, and parents. At the same time, academics and students in the areas of sport coaching, biomechanics, motor skill acquisition, strength and conditioning, and related disciplines will find interest in the insights provided from this underrepresented niche in sports.
A Constraints-Led Approach to Swim Coaching (Routledge Studies in Constraints-Based Methodologies in Sport)
by Andrew SheaffMotor skill acquisition and athlete development practices are rapidly evolving. Positioned at the forefront of this evolution, the constraints-led approach encourages practitioners to consider the athlete as a whole person, with unique traits, abilities, and capacities. Accordingly, an athlete’s competitive success lies in the practitioner’s ability to adapt their programming to the unique needs of each athlete and to develop an understanding of the athlete-environment relationship. A Constraints-Led Approach to Swim Coaching applies contemporary motor skill acquisition and athlete development practices to swimming. This book encourages coaches to reconsider how they approach skill development in a sport that requires considerable physical training and highly efficient movement. It presents a framework for identifying the various constraints that determine the ability to perform at a high level. It then offers coaches practical examples to navigate the manipulation of constraints to support the development of physical capacities and the ability to effectively utilize those capacities through efficient movement. These frameworks are broadly inclusive to the global sports programming market. This book is written through a “conversive” voice and is accessible to a broad audience interested in athlete development and programming such as coaches, sport scientists, support staff, athletes, and parents. At the same time, academics and students in the areas of sport coaching, biomechanics, motor skill acquisition, strength and conditioning, and related disciplines will find interest in the insights provided from this underrepresented niche in sports.
Barbarians, Gentlemen and Players: A Sociological Study of the Development of Rugby Football (Sport in the Global Society)
by Kenneth Sheard Eric DunningFirst published in 1979, this classic study of the development of rugby from folk game to its modern Union and League forms has become a seminal text in sport history. In a new epilogue the authors provide sociological analysis of the major developments in international ruby that have taken place since 1979, with particular attention to the professionalism that was predicted in the first edition of this text. Sports lovers, rugby fans and students of the history and sociology of sport will find it invaluable.Rugby football is descended from winter 'folk games' which were a deeply rooted tradition in pre-industrial Britain. This was the first book to study the development of Rugby from this folk tradition to the game in its modern forms. The folk forms of football were extremely violent and serious injuries - even death - were a common feature. The game was refined in the public schools who played a crucial role in formulating the rules which required footballers to exercise greater self-control. With the spread of rugby into the wider society, the Rugby Football Union was founded but class tensions led to the split between Rugby Union and Rugby League. The authors examine the changes that led to the professionalisation of Rugby Union as well as the alleged resurgence of violence in the modern game.