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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games
Since its emergence in Italy in 1968, one model of football fandom
has become the most dominant in the world: the ultras. Producing
choreography, chants, banners and pyrotechnics, ultras represent a
highly organised style of fandom that has an increasing global
reach and visibility. Over the last fifty years, ultras fandom has
spread from Southern Europe across North Africa to Northern and
Eastern Europe, South East Asia and North America. Their collective
performance not only distinguishes ultras from other football fans,
but from many other forms of group behaviour. Focusing on their
common form of expression, this book shows how members build an
emotional attachment to their club that valorises the insignia of
that team while mobilising members against opponents. As a
collective with a shared, coherent sense of identity based on an
act of consumption, ultras represent an important site of enquiry
into masculinity and nationalism in contemporary society. -- .
***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*** 'A master of plotting and pacing'
- New York Times 'With every new book I appreciate John Grisham a
little more, for his compassion for the underdog, and his
willingness to strike out in new directions' - Entertainment Weekly
ONE MAN. ONE HOPE. ONCE CHANCE TO BECOME A LEGEND. ONE MAN
Seventeen-year-old Samuel Sooleyman comes from a village in South
Sudan, a war-torn country where one third of the population is a
refugee. His great love is basketball: his prodigious leap and
lightning speed make him an exceptional player. And it may also
bring him his big chance: he has been noticed by a coach taking a
youth team to the United States. ONE HOPE If he gets through the
tournament, Samuel's life will change beyond recognition. But it's
the longest of long shots. His talent is raw and uncoached. There
are hundreds of better-known players ahead of him. And he must
leave his family behind, at least at the beginning. ONE CHANCE As
American success beckons, devastating news reaches Samuel from
home. Caught between his dream and the nightmare unfolding
thousands of miles away, 'Sooley', as he's nicknamed by his
classmates, must make hard choices about his future. This quiet,
dedicated boy must do what no other player has achieved in the
history of his chosen game: become a legend in twelve short months.
Global bestseller John Grisham takes you to a different kind of
court in this gripping and incredibly moving novel that showcases
his storytelling powers in an entirely new light. 'Grisham's books
are smart, imaginative, and funny, populated by complex interesting
people' - The Washington Post 'A superb, instinctive storyteller' -
The Times 350+ million copies, 45 languages, 9 blockbuster films:
NO ONE WRITES DRAMA LIKE JOHN GRISHAM
Bursting onto the scene as a 20-year-old rookie, Arky Vaughan
quickly established himself as the next great Pittsburgh Pirates
shortstop. In 1935 his .385 batting average eclipsed even that of
the immortal Honus Wagner, who was a steadying influence for
Vaughan during his 10 seasons with the Pirates. Vaughan never hit
under .300 with Pittsburgh and his versatility later made him an
asset to the Brooklyn Dodgers. One of the quietest men in baseball,
the nine-time All-Star eschewed the limelight but received plenty
of attention for his on-field performance, for his one-man mutiny
against Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher, and for walking away from
the game to take care of his family and his beloved ranch during
World War II. Drawing on dozens of articles, personal writings,
recorded interviews and his daughter's unpublished biography, this
book covers the life and career of an often overlooked Hall of
Famer who died in a tragic boating accident at age 40.
Laugh yourself off the fairway with this mini-collection of golfing
humour - the very best quips and quotes for the golf-obsessed.
In the 150 years of college football history, the national
championship has been decided by unanimous vote only 33 times. This
book analyzes the various methods of selecting these champions and
what made the teams special. Drawing on archives and early
published works, a firsthand description of the 1869 inaugural game
between Princeton and Rutgers is provided, along with details of
how these earliest teams were managed. The contributions and
innovations of Walter Camp, the "Father of Football," are explored,
as is the evolution of the game itself. Each unanimous season since
the turn of the 20th century-from Yale in 1900 to LSU in 2019-is
covered in detail, with a brief history of each school's football
program. The question "is there a best ever team" is explored.
Association Football did no less than reshape British and indeed
global society in its fast development as an organised sport over
the course of the second half of the nineteenth century and leading
up to the First World War. In this newly released edition of Tony
Mason's essential account of the game's rise, issues such as the
amateur professional divide, social class and mass spectatorship
are seen as fundamental to the development of what is now a
multi-trillion dollar industry. Dilwyn Porter supplements this
classic text with a brand-new introduction.
LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 'The
greatest story in English sport told beautifully by one of its
greatest writers' Gary Lineker 'A spellbinding piece of work'
Oliver Holt; 'Absolute tour de force' Henry Winter Award-winning
writer Paul Hayward delivers a compelling and unmissable account of
the story of the England men's football team, published as they
prepare for the World Cup in Qatar. On 30 November 1872, England
took on Scotland at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow, a match that is
regarded as the first international fixture. More than 5,000 fans
watched the two sides play out a 0-0 draw. It was the first of more
than a thousand games played by the side, and the beginning of a
national love affair that unites the country in a way that few
other events can match. In Hayward's brilliant new biography of the
team, based on interviews with dozens of past and present players
and coaches, including Viv Anderson, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and
current coach Gareth Southgate, we get a vivid portrait of all
aspects of the team's story, reliving highlights such as the World
Cup victory in 1966 and the time when football came home in Euro
96, as well as the low points when the players were obliged to give
the Nazi salute in 1938 and the era when England's hooligan fans
brought shame on the nation. From Stanley Matthews and Bobby Moore
through to more modern heroes such as Paul Gascoigne, David
Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane, Hayward brings a large cast
of characters to life. For anyone who wants to understand England
football, and why it means so much to so many, England Football:
The Biography is an essential and vital read.
The game of football has played a key role in shaping and cementing
senses of national identity throughout the world. As any seasoned
traveller can attest, the quickest entry into most cultures is by
talking football or attending a match. The game is a prism for both
witnessing and interacting with identities and cultures. Aware that
the game may afford a space for expressing or organizing protest
and dissent, powerful groups the world over may attempt to harness
the forces of populist nationalism provided by football. This book
examines football in 18 countries.
'A highly entertaining read, deftly melding social history with
sporting memoir and travelogue' Mail on Sunday A history of Latin
America through cricket Cricket was the first sport played in
almost every country of the Americas - earlier than football, rugby
or baseball. In 1877, when England and Australia played the
inaugural Test match at the MCG, Uruguay and Argentina were already
ten years into their derby played across the River Plate. The
visionary cricket historian Rowland Bowen said that, during the
highpoint of cricket in South America between the two World Wars,
the continent could have provided the next Test nation. In Buenos
Aires, where British engineers, merchants and meatpackers flocked
to make their fortune, the standard of cricket was high: towering
figures like Lord Hawke and Plum Warner took star-studded teams of
Test cricketers to South America, only to be beaten by Argentina. A
combined Argentine, Brazilian and Chilean team took on the
first-class counties in England in 1932. The notion of Brazilians
and Mexicans playing T20 at the Maracana or the Azteca today is not
as far-fetched as it sounds. But Evita Burned Down Our Pavilion is
also a social history of grit, industry and nation-building in the
New World. West Indian fruit workers battled yellow fever and
brutal management to carve out cricket fields next to the railway
lines in Costa Rica. Cricket was the favoured sport of Chile's
Nitrate King. Emperors in Brazil and Mexico used the game to curry
favour with Europe. The notorious Pablo Escobar even had a shadowy
connection to the game. The fate of cricket in South America was
symbolised by Eva Peron ordering the burning down of the Buenos
Aires Cricket Club pavilion when the club refused to hand over
their premises to her welfare scheme. Cricket journalists Timothy
Abraham and James Coyne take us on a journey to discover this
largely untold story of cricket's fate in the world's most
colourful continent. Fascinating and surprising, Evita Burned Down
Our Pavilion is a valuable addition to cricketing and social
history.
In what is sure to be the definitive book on Eddie Collins's life
and long career, author Rick Huhn covers the Hall of Fame player's
experiences from childhood through his days at Columbia University;
his tenure with the great Athletics clubs of 1906-1914, the highs
and lows of a championship and scandal with the White Sox, and his
return to the A's during their final run at greatness. By the time
his 25-year playing career had ended, he had been a pivotal
performer on five all-time great clubs, dominated his position like
no one before (or since), and earned a reputation for intelligent,
selfless play that followed him to Cooperstown. Also covered in
detail is his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, a team he served
variously as part owner, vice-president and general manager until
1951, when after 45 years in major league baseball a stroke
effectively ended his career and, weeks later, his life.
Part reference, part trivia, part brain teaser, and absolutely the
most unusual and thorough compendium of baseball stats and facts
ever assembled-all verified for accuracy by the Baseball Hall of
Fame. First created by legendary sportswriter Bert Randolph Sugar,
and now updated, here are thousands of fascinating lists, tables,
data, and stimulating facts. Inside, you'll find all of the big
name baseball heroes like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Ernie Banks,
Pete Rose, Denny McLain, Ty Cobb, and a lot of information that
will be new to even the most devoted fans: Highest batting averages
not to win batting titles Home-run leaders by state of birth
Players on last-place teams leading the league in RBIs, by season
Most triples by position, season Winners of two "legs" of triple
crown since last winner Oldest pitchers with losing record, leading
league in ERA Career pitching leaders under six feet tall Managers
replaced wile team was in first place Hall of Famers whose sons
played in the majors Players with palindromic surnames And so much
more! Not just a collection of facts or records, this is a book of
glorious fun that will astound even the most bookish baseball fan.
Read up and amaze your friends!
"This is one of the very best baseball books in years." Booklist,
Starred Review Reaching the major leagues is a pipe dream for most
young baseball players in America. Very few ever get to live it
out. A select number of those players face the elation and
frustration of getting to play in just one major league game. The
Cup of Coffee Club: 11 Players and Their Brush with Baseball
History tells the unique stories of eleven of these players. It
details their struggles to reach the major leagues, their one
moment in the limelight, and their struggles to get back. They
include a former Major League Baseball manager, the son of a
Baseball Hall of Famer, and two different brothers of Hall of
Famers. Exclusive interviews with each of the players provide
insight into what that single seminal moment meant and how they
dealt with the blow of never making another major league appearance
again. Spanning half a century of baseball, each player's journey
to Major League Baseball is distinct, as is each of their responses
to having played in just a single game. The Cup of Coffee Club
shares their unique perspectives, providing a better understanding
of just how special each major league game can be.
True story of how a hoodoo that afflicted the Chicago Cubs for over
100 years was revealed and ultimately---according to the
author--exorcized by Cub fans around the world through a series of
discoveries, rituals, and hoodoo cleansing events. A story of
goats, black cats, Red Sox, White Sox, superstitions and at least
one incredible account of voodoo. Ground Zero for Cubs fans near
and far.
Mistrusted and derided, instrumentalised and adored - the story of
football in Tsarist and early Soviet Russia is as wild and
intriguing as that of the country itself. In many ways it is the
same story... Football in the Land of the Soviets offers a fresh
perspective on a momentous chapter in modern political history.
Carles Vinas shows how the Russian game was transformed in just a
few decades: from a minor emigre pastime, to a modernising driver
of society, to a vanguard for Soviet diplomacy and
internationalism, and finally, with the first championship of the
Soviet League in 1936, into a truly mass phenomenon. So exactly how
did a bourgeois game end up as the collective passion of the Soviet
working class? And why does it matter? Football in the Land of the
Soviets brings these questions to the fore in this thrilling,
unorthodox account of the fall of an imperial dynasty and the rise
of the world's first socialist state.
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