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Games People Played: A Global History of Sport

Games People Played: A Global History of Sport

by Wray Vamplew

Reaktion Books ·2021 ·454 pages
Maybe Someday
Maybe Someday
I Index
33/99
Bottom of the Pile

4/99

Critics' Rating Index

Near the Top

62/99

Readers' Rating Index

n/a

Scholars' Citation Index

15/99

Volume of Reviews

5/99

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About This Book

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.


Reviews

"[Vamplew's] account — the fruit of a career's work — is so shapeless that it often reads like the encyclopaedia that he claims he didn't want to write."

Simon Kuper· The Spectator (UK) Read review ↗ Bottom of the Pile

"But sporting enthusiasts might feel there is something missing at its heart."

David Papineau· The Wall Street Journal Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

"The study of games, Vamplew demonstrates, is very much for grown-ups."

James McConnachie· The Times (UK) Read review ↗ Near the Top

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