The World's Game: A History of Soccer (Illinois History of Sports) - Hardcover

Murray, Bill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 025201748X ISBN 13: 9780252017483

Publisher: University of Illinois Press, 1996

Synopsis

Known as much for the emotional outbursts and violence of its fans as for its own stars, soccer (or football, as it is known outside the United States) is a global game. Its international controlling body, FIFA, boasts more members than the United Nations.
Bill Murray traces the growth of what during pre-industrial times was called "the simplest game" through its codification in the nineteenth century to the 1994 World Cup, held for the first time in the United States. Murray weaves the sport's growth into the culture and politics of the countries where it has been taken up, analyzing its reputation as a game that has seen more riots and on-field brawls than all other types of football combined. He vividly illustrates how soccer has become the world's most popular sport, one that has resisted the interference of politicians, dictators, and profiteers and - more recently - the demands of television, through which it has spread to virtually every corner of the globe.
The World's Game will be entertaining and enlightening to anyone from the most avid, knowledgeable fan to those who merely hope to learn a little about the sport.

About this title

Review:

Soccer, one of the most popular games in the world, is played by many and is supported fanatically by millions. So, how did this sport come about? What were its origins? Why has it flourished for so long? Bill Murray, an Australian sports historian, answers these questions and many more as he persuasively presents the case for why soccer is the premier sport of the world. Tracing the history of the organized game--from its origins as a leisure pastime for private-school alumni in London in 1863 to the World Cup held in the U.S. in 1994--Murray commentates on the evolution of soccer from past to present. Attention is paid to all aspects of the game, ranging from America's ambivalent attitude toward professional soccer to the progress of the women's game to the threat of hooliganism. The ground covered is vast, but Murray's readable style will be appreciated by anyone who has a passion for the game, and will inspire interest in those who know little about it. --Jeremy Storey

About the Author:

Bill Murray is senior lecturer in history at La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 025201748X
• ISBN 13: 9780252017483
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 218