The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the greatest victory in the history of Rangers Football Club when, on 24 May 1972, Rangers won the European Cup Winners' Cup in dramatic style in Barcelona. That evening in Spain will forever live in the hearts of Rangers fans as their greatest day. Now, in conversation with a roll call of the great and good from that glorious day, Tom Miller looks back on the campaign that culminated in Rangers winning their only major European trophy. Willie Johnston recalls the revolutionary tactics that served them well on their travels, starting against Rennes in France. John Greig revisits the bizarre events of the match in Lisbon when Rangers thought they had been eliminated by Sporting. Alex MacDonald claims he still has the bruises from his exertions in the quarter-final against Torino, and Derek Parlane tells of his shock at being called into the starting line-up against Bayern Munich just before his 19th birthday. And for the final itself, Peter McCloy - who played every competitive game for Rangers in that historic season - evokes that special chemistry which delivered the winning formula against Russian giants FC Dynamo Moscow. For the first time these Rangers legends share their memories together, making Barcelona an essential read on a golden era for Rangers Football Club.

Intercollegiate athletics continue to bedevil American higher education. At once tied closely with their institutions, athletic programs often operate outside the traditional university governance structure while contributing significantly to a school's culture, identity, and financial outlook. Introduction to Intercollegiate Athletics, edited by Eddie Comeaux, explores the complexities of intercollegiate athletics while explaining the organizational structures, key players, terms, and important issues most relevant to the growing but often misunderstood fields of recreational studies, sports management, and athletic administration. The book is divided into eight sections, the first three of which describe the foundations, overarching structures, and conditions that shape athletics and higher education. Three others explore the ways college athletes experience life on campus, and the final two delve into the current and future policy contexts of intercollegiate athletics. Written by a diverse group of expert scholars, the book's twenty-eight chapters are enhanced with useful glossaries, reflections from athletics stakeholders, relevant case studies, and conversation-provoking discussion questions. Aimed at upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, scholars, teachers, practitioners, athletic administrators, and advocates of intercollegiate athletics, Introduction to Intercollegiate Athletics provides readers with up-to-date and comprehensive knowledge about the changes to-and challenges faced by-university athletics programs.

Bringing together many of the most influential scholars in sport and media studies, this book examines the diverse ways that media influences our understanding of the world's most important sport events, dubbed sports mega-events. It sheds new light on how these events have been changed by the media, and have, in turn, adapted to media to further their brand's cultural influence. Focusing on the central concept of "mediatization" - the permeation of media into all spheres of contemporary life - the book presents original case studies of major events including the Olympics, FIFA, rugby and cricket World Cups, Tour de France, Super Bowl, World Series, Monaco Grand Prix, Wimbledon, and many more. Written from a truly international perspective, this is a seminal work in sport and media studies that reveals the growing political, economic, and cultural influences of sport mega-events in contemporary society. Sport, Media and Mega-Events is an essential text for any course on the sociology of sport, event management, sport marketing, or featuring a cultural, communication or media studies approach to sport.

Essential World Cup Reading | Featured in The New York Times' 'What to Read During the World Cup' Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg offer a deeply reported account of the intertwined sagas and legacies of two of the greatest soccer players of all time-Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo-examining how their rivalry has grown from a personal competition to a multi-billion-dollar industry, paralleling the stunning rise, overwhelming excesses, and uncertain future of modern international soccer. For over fifteen years, almost any conversation about international soccer has always come back to two players-Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo-undoubtedly the greatest of their generation but with styles, attitudes, and fanbases that couldn't be more different. For millions of people around the world "Messi or Ronaldo?" isn't simply a barroom argument, or an affirmation of fandom, so much as a statement of philosophy, of values, of what global soccer is today and of what it will be tomorrow. Now Wall Street Journal reporters and co-authors of The Club, Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg, unite the stories of Messi and Ronaldo into a single modern epic of global sports, detailing how one rivalry changed both the game and the business of international soccer-forever. Based on dozens of firsthand accounts and years of original reporting, Messi vs. Ronaldo weaves together the stakes, color, and characters at the heart of each man's story, going inside the locker rooms and boardrooms where their legends were forged and revealing off-field drama as gripping as anything that happened on it. From their contrasting origin stories to their divergent career arcs and their conflicting reputations, these players have built their successes on opposite paths, yet each, in his own way, offers a riveting tale of triumph and excess. Taken together, their story embodies the astronomical growth of international soccer, how social media has revolutionized the power of sports celebrity, and how the desire to capitalize on the billions of dollars these players represent electrified some of the most storied clubs in Europe-Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United among them-and cost them almost everything. With the 2022 World Cup almost certain to be the last for both of these figures, Messi vs. Ronaldo offers a deeply researched look at their legacy and grapples with the impact that their talents have had on the game for better and for worse. Much more than a retelling of the dual accomplishments of these great players, this is truly a biography of a rivalry, one that has become a crucial lens for understanding the past, present, and future of global soccer.

This book features international authors discussing the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in the sports context. It focuses on topics such as the role of entrepreneurial marketing in sport, how technological innovation has changed the way sport is played and viewed, the globalization of sport as a product and service, the new types of sports that have emerged, athlete entrepreneurs and their related business endeavors and how sport influences innovation in other industries. The main themes of the book include: 1) the development of sport entrepreneurship and innovation, 2) entrepreneurship and sport, 3) innovation in sport, 4) internationalization and entrepreneurial behavior in sport, 5) entrepreneurial sport marketing, 6) sport in entrepreneurial universities and 7) the future for sport entrepreneurship and innovation. This interdisciplinary book will appeal to entrepreneurship, innovation and sport management scholars, students and practitioners.

The Olympics: The Basics is an accessible, issues based introduction to the unique worldwide Olympic Movement and resulting Olympics. Examining all aspects of an event which traverses sport, politics, culture, entertainment and education, this book covers:

• The history of the Games
• Management and organisation
• The political dimension
• The role of the media
• The culture, identity and legacy of the Games
• Controversies surrounding the event
• Future directions of the Olympic Movement

Giving readers a rounded understanding of all dimensions of the Olympics, this book is essential reading for students of sports studies, Olympic studies and events management, and all those wishing to gain a deeper insight into the world 's largest sporting event.

A Cultural History of Sport in the Modern Age covers the period 1920 to today. Over this time, world-wide participation in sport has been shaped by economic developments, communication and transportation innovations, declining racism, diplomacy, political ideologies, feminization, democratization, as well as increasing professionalization and commercialization. Sport has now become both a global cultural force and one of the deepest ways in which individual nations express their myths, beliefs, values, traditions and realities. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Sport presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of sport and its ever-changing social, cultural, political, and economic context and impact. The themes covered in each volume are the purpose of sport; sporting time and sporting space; products, training and technology; rules and order; conflict and accommodation; inclusion, exclusion and segregation; minds, bodies and identities; representation. Steven A. Riess is Professor Emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University, USA. Volume 6 in the Cultural History of Sport set General Editors: Wray Vamplew, Mark Dyreson, and John McClelland

'A heart-warming, joyous and assured debut novel about friendship that put me in mind of Kay Mellor at her funnies' RICHARD HERRING 'Takes you inside the minds of a brilliant group of characters at very different stages of life. A gripping, witty, very human read' MARK WATSON Sometimes life throws you a curveball . . . 58-year-old Jackie Douglas thinks she has everything she wants - kids, grandchildren, and a comfortable retirement with her husband, Steve. Until one afternoon she comes home to find Steve packing a bag and her comfortable life suddenly moves out of bounds. Her best friend Ros, a law firm boss with an appetite for life, laughter and (just the right amount of) wine, immediately leaps in to help Jackie back to her feet but soon finds herself feeling second best to Jackie's other priorities. Their barmaid/friend/wine protege Jay is back home with her mum at nearly 30. Brilliant. After losing her job in London she's returned, working in the pub job she thought she'd left behind at 18. In tipsy search of something - anything - new, they wind up the leaders of a ramshackle, barely functional netball team: The Skids. Facing confusing exes, divorce, betrayals, financial woes and more, Jackie, Ros and Jay are about to discover that finding your team might just be the key to turning things around... 'Refreshing, hilarious and really uplifting - I fell in love with Jackie, Ros and the rest of the squad - and everyone else will too' HELLY ACTON, author of The Shelf 'The book we need at the moment - a joyous celebration of female friendship and midlife. And as a netball player, I really did enjoy the attention to comic detail . . . Hilarious' CAROLINE CORCORAN, author of Five Days Missing 'Hugely uplifting, enjoyable fun, I fell in love with the Skids!' DAISY BUCHANAN, author of Careering

'An intriguing study of the minds of some of rugby's greatest leaders' - Tom English, BBC Sport An Official Licensed Product of the British & Irish Lions A British & Irish Lions tour presents one of the greatest challenges in sport. Rugby is a game that rewards creative expression, toil, teamwork and a never-say-die attitude. It can be joyful, vibrant and beautiful. Equally, it can brutally expose human flaws and frailties - even more so in the hugely pressurised environment of a Lions tour. Every team, no matter how talented, will find itself in dark and difficult situations both on and off the field; the successful ones are those with a leadership group that can navigate these challenging moments. In Legacy of the Lions, former Lions captain Gavin Hastings draws on his own experiences in the famous red jersey and interviews other greats of the game - including, among many others, Sam Warburton, Warren Gatland, Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll, Martin Johnson, Finlay Calder and Sir Ian McGeechan, plus a selection of their illustrious opponents, such as Kieran Read, John Smit and John Eales - to explore how to forge a successful team in this most rarefied of environments, the difficulties they each encountered and what leadership lessons they learned. Inspiring, humorous and illuminating, Legacy of the Lions casts a unique light on leadership, team-building and elite performance and reveals a new perspective on touring with - and playing against - The British & Irish Lions in the modern era.

Award-winning cricket writer Mark Peel charts the development of the England captaincy - from the autocratic captains of the post-war years to the dual captaincy of the present, where power is shared between captain and coach. Peel examines the huge demands the England captaincy imposes on the occupant and why few leave office with their reputation enhanced. You'll learn about the long-lasting legacy of the Hutton captaincy of the mid-1950s, the downfall of mavericks such as Brian Close, Tony Greig and Mike Gatting, the success of the Illingworth and Brearley eras and the chaos of the 1980s, when captains came and went with regular abandon, and finally the glory years of Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss. The Hollow Crown contains individual portraits of the 43 England captains, exploring their background, philosophy, strengths, weaknesses and the legacy they left, with special attention given to the likes of Hutton, May, Illingworth, Brearley, Atherton, Hussain, Vaughan and Strauss.

How does a small provincial city in southern Japan become the site of a world-famous wheelchair marathon that has been attracting the best international athletes since 1981? In More Than Medals, Dennis J. Frost answers this question and addresses the histories of individuals, institutions, and events-the 1964 Paralympics, the FESPIC Games, the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon, the Nagano Winter Paralympics, and the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games that played important roles in the development of disability sports in Japan. Sporting events in the postwar era, Frost shows, have repeatedly served as forums for addressing the concerns of individuals with disabilities. More Than Medals provides new insights on the cultural and historical nature of disability and demonstrates how sporting events have challenged some stigmas associated with disability, while reinforcing or generating others. Frost analyzes institutional materials and uses close readings of media, biographical sources, and interviews with Japanese athletes to highlight the profound-though often ambiguous-ways in which sports have shaped how postwar Japan has perceived and addressed disability. His novel approach highlights the importance of the Paralympics and the impact that disability sports have had on Japanese society. Open access edition funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For any normal individual, a round the world trip of a lifetime would mean abandoning all thoughts of everyday life and embracing a jetset lifestyle. Not so David Blatt. While his long-suffering wife Helene embarked upon a 90,000 mile global odyssey with thoughts of ticking-off as many of the world's wonders as possible, David felt the magnetic pull of the other love of his life, Manchester United, and the prospect of a whole year without watching Eric's Disciples on Earth. As David proves in "The Red Eye", it is now possible to watch the world's most famous club from almost any part of the globe, with the honourable exception of the Galapagos Islands. From India to Brazil via most points in between, he catches The Reds on dodgy internet streams, at the back of beachside cafes, in restaurants, Aussie pubs and overcrowded hostel reception areas, while Helene plans the next day's breathtaking trip to the likes of the Taj Mahal or Machu Picchu. What emerges is a sharply humorous and insightful account of a trip across four continents with the protagonists often at odds over the purpose of the day: Magnificent Utopia or Manchester United...No contest!

The story of an obsession. When cycling commentator Ned Boulting bought a length of Pathe news film featuring a stage of the Tour de France from 1923 he set about learning everything he could about it - taking him on an intriguing journey that encompasses travelogue, history and detective story. In the autumn of 2020 Ned Boulting (ITV head cycling commentator and Tour de France obsessive) bought a length of Pathe news film from a London auction house. All he knew was it was film from the Tour de France, a long time ago. Once restored it became clear it was a short sequence of shots from stage 4 of the 1923 Tour de France. No longer than 2.5 minutes long, it featured half a dozen sequences, including a lone rider crossing a bridge. Ned set about learning everything he could about the sequence - studying each frame, face and building - until he had squeezed the meaning from it. It sets him off in fascinating directions, encompassing travelogue, history, mystery story - to explain, to go deeper into this moment in time, captured on his little film. Join him as he explores the history of cycling and France just five years after WWI - meeting characters like Henri Pelissier, who won the Tour that year but who would within the decade be shot dead by his lover using the same pistol with which his wife had killed herself. And Theophile Beeckman - the lone rider on the bridge.

The story of black professional baseball provides a remarkable perspective on several major themes in modern African American history: the initial black response to segregation, the subsequent struggle to establish successful separate enterprises, and the later movement toward integration. Baseball functioned as a critical component in the separate economy catering to black consumers in the urban centers of the North and South. While most black businesses struggled to survive from year to year, professional baseball teams and leagues operated for decades, representing a major achievement in black enterprise and institution building.
"Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution" presents the extraordinary history of a great African American achievement, from its lowest ebb during the Depression, through its golden age and World War II, until its gradual disappearance during the early years of the civil rights era. Faced with only a limited amount of correspondence and documents, Lanctot consulted virtually every sports page of every black newspaper located in a league city. He then conducted interviews with former players and scrutinized existing financial, court, and federal records. Through his efforts, Lanctot has painstakingly reconstructed the institutional history of black professional baseball, locating the players, teams, owners, and fans in the wider context of the league's administration. In addition, he provides valuable insight into the changing attitudes of African Americans toward the need for separate institutions.

This book provides a unique perspective on the behind the scenes planning of London's Olympic legacy. The author had unprecedented access to the legacy organisations, institutions, and individuals involved with the 2012 Games. This has allowed her, in a highly accessible and engaging style, to capture a sense of the unfolding drama as attempts were made in London to harness the juggernaut of Olympic development, and its commercial imperative, to the broader cause of meaningful post-industrial regeneration in East London. The book argues that London will become the test-case city against which the legacies of all future Olympic Games, and other sporting mega-events, will be judged. The author provides the first in-depth case study of a mega-event legacy planning operation, and sets out a constructive conclusion, which details the lessons to be learnt from London's experience. Exploring the relationship between mega event planning, and post-industrial urban regeneration, this book will appeal to scholars across Sociology, Sport and Olympic studies, Anthropology, Urban Studies and Geography as well as policymakers and practitioners in urban and sport planning.

Forgotten Nations tells the stories of the international football teams that are unable to break into FIFA's ranks, from the self-funded minnows of Barawa in south-western Sudan to Tibet's Dalai Lama-backed national side, and new media darlings Yorkshire. They play under the auspices of CONIFA - the Confederation of Independent Football Associations - created to help express the cultural identities of football's 'stateless peoples', fighting for recognition on the biggest stage of all. Here are incredible human and sporting stories from diverse regions: from Matabeleland in Zimbabwe, still recovering from massacres 30 years ago, to Tuvalu in the south Pacific, threatened with inundation. Aided by wonderful behind-the-scenes access at London's 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup, and the irresistible willpower of sportsmen and women trying to make their stories heard, Forgotten Nations explains why 11,000 people crammed into a tiny stadium on the Black Sea coast in 2016 to watch two teams that most of the world has never heard of.

WINNER OF THE FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR 'This is a masterfully written history of the world's greatest football club. Mes que un book!' - GARY LINEKER From the bestselling co-author of Soccernomics comes the story of how FC Barcelona became the most successful football club in the world - and how that envied position now hangs in the balance. Barca is not just the world's most popular sports club, it is simply one of the most influential organisations on the planet. With almost 250 million followers on social media and 4 million visitors to its Camp Nou stadium each year, there's little wonder its motto is 'More than a club'. But it was not always so. In the past three decades, Barcelona has transformed from regional team to global powerhouse, becoming a model of sporting excellence and a consistent winner of silverware. Simon Kuper unravels exactly how these transformations took place. He outlines the organisational structure behind the club's business decisions, and details the work of its coaches, medics, data analysts and nutritionists who have revolutionised the sporting world. And, of course, he studies the towering influence of the club's two greatest legends, Johan Cruyff and Lionel Messi. Like many leading global businesses, FC Barcelona closely guards its secrets, granting few outsiders a view behind the scenes. But, after decades of writing about the sport and the club, Kuper was given unprecedented access to the inner sanctum and to the people who strive daily to keep Barcelona at the top. Erudite, personal, and capturing all the latest successes and upheavals, his portrait of this incredible institution goes beyond football to understand Barca as a unique social, cultural, and political phenomenon. "I began my research thinking I was going to be explaining Barca's rise to greatness, and I have, but I've also ended up charting the decline and fall."

Glasgow Rangers began the year in the doldrums - and they stayed there for a good few months, struggling to make fifth spot in a ten-team league. That was until the dramatic events of Tuesday, 8 April 1986. From that day forward, Glasgow Rangers changed forever; Graeme Souness saw to that. Fresh from Serie A - which at that time was almost certainly the toughest league in the world - Souness came home to Scotland to become Rangers' player/manager; he took the club by the scruff of the neck and didn't stop shaking until he'd made them the best team in Scotland - and by some distance. He reversed the trend of the best Scottish players heading south to ply their trade in England, and encouraged the English trio of Terry Butcher, Chris Woods and Graham Roberts to head to Ibrox. It was the year Souness gave Rangers supporters back their swagger. With new insightful interviews with the key players, chief protagonists and those who were at the heart of the turnaround, 1986: The Rangers Revolution tells the full story of what happened at Ibrox in 1986, quite a year to be a Ranger!

'They're places skiers will love.' - Metro 'An intercontinental romp through a galaxy of ski trivia.' - Scotsman 'Whether you've ever skied or never been near a chairlift or the piste, there is gold in these pages. ' - Press & The Journal The amazing history behind the best ski trails in the world. Veteran ski journalist Patrick Thorne has unearthed the incredible stories behind 50 unique runs from the utterly unmissable to the totally unexpected. Discover the two different Alpine ski areas who claim to be Hannibal's route through the mountains with his elephants; the debate around what is really the world's steepest slope; how smugglers have used ski runs to escape custom patrol; and why hundreds of skiers dress as witches at Belalp in Switzerland every year. Features skiing from across Europe, North America and South America, as well as fascinating global ski destinations including China, Iran and even North Korea. Along the way we'll meet Franz Klammer, the greatest ski racer in history, as well as The Beatles, Count Dracula, St Patrick and James Bond. Complimented with practical information and trail maps, it is the perfect gift for the skier in your life.

An in-depth look at the fifty best Bears players in franchise history, featuring profiles and photography created by the Chicago Tribune. The Chicago Bears football team has a grip on the Windy City that spans generations and cultures, endures disappointments, and impels celebration of triumphs great and small. From the team's humble beginnings through its century-long history as the flagship NFL franchise, the Chicago Tribune has documented every season and kept a close eye on the superstars who have shone the brightest over the last 100 years. The Chicago Tribune's 50 Best Chicago Bears of All Time is a tribute to Bears tradition, collecting classic photography and original profiles on the very best players to don the navy and orange uniform. In 2019, as the team set out to begin their 100th season, the Chicago Tribune took a look at the one thousand, five hundred and eighty-two players who have ever suited up for the Bears and culled down the list to the fifty best of all time. The Chicago Tribune's 50 Best Chicago Bears of All Time is a must-have collector's item for any Bears fan. From Larry Morris to Walter Payton, the Chicago Tribune has put together an in-depth look at each of these top players in franchise history, with profiles that provide readers with an overview of the player's life and career, as well as his stats and how he measures up against the rest of the field. As a team, the Bears found success at its very beginning, dominating the sport with four NFL titles in the 1940s, seven winning campaigns in the 1950s, and a final title with founder George Halas as coach in 1963. Their 1985 Super Bowl championship transformed the city's passion into a full-blown love affair that continues today. Professional football was practically born in Chicago, nurtured by Halas through the Depression and a world war. The NFL game was made for Chicago, in Chicago, by a Chicagoan. Now the award-winning journalists, photographers, and editors of the Chicago Tribune have produced a collector's item that every Bears fan will love.

This is the ultimate quiz book on Coventry City Football Club. The perfect gift for Sky Blues fans of all ages, it is sure to brighten up long match-day journeys and provide some entertaining trips down memory lane. From the earliest days of Singers FC, to the glory-filled promotion years under Jimmy Hill, from cup calamities to winning at Wembley, and from the thirty four unbroken years of top-flight football to recent relegations, all Coventry City topics are covered here. This book will test your knowledge of all shades of Sky Blue history. If you know it, or think you know it, check it out here and settle your Sky Blue scores.

Although women and girls participate in sport in greater numbers than ever before, research shows there has been no significant increase in women leading sport organizations. This book takes an international, evidence-based perspective in examining women in sport leadership and offers future directions for improving gender equity. With contributions from leading international sport scholars and practitioners, it explores the opportunities and challenges women face while exercising leadership in sport organizations and evaluates leadership development practices. While positional leadership is crucial, this book argues that some women may choose to exercise leadership in non-positional ways, challenging readers to consider their personal values and passions. The chapters not only discuss key topics such as gender bias, intersectionality, quotas, networking, mentoring and sponsoring, but also present a variety of strategies to develop and support the next generation of women leaders in sport. A new model of how to achieve gender equity in sport leadership is also introduced. Women in Sport Leadership: Research and Practice for Change is important reading for all students, scholars, leaders, administrators, and coaches with an interest in sport business, policy and management, as well as women's sport and gender studies.