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Short-listed for the North American Society for Sport History Book Award 2003. Alcohol is never far from sporting events. Although popular thinking on the effects of drinking has changed considerably over time, throughout history sport and alcohol have been intimately linked. The Victorians, for example, believed that beer helped to build stamina, whereas today any serious athlete must abstain from the demon drink. Yet despite current prohibitions and the widespread acceptance of alcohols deleterious effects, the uneasy alliance of sport with alcohol remains culturally entrenched. It is common for sporting celebrities to struggle with alcoholism, and teams are often encouraged to bond by drinking together. Indeed, many of todays major sporting sponsors are breweries and manufacturers of alcoholic drinks. From hooliganism to commerce, from advertising and sponsorship to health and fitness, if there is one thing that brings athletes, fans and financial backers together it must be beer. This cultural history of drinking and sport examines the roles masculinity, class and regional identity play in alcohol consumption at a broad range of matches, races, courses and competitions. Offering a fresh perspective on the culture and commerce of sporting events, this book will be essential reading for cultural historians, anthropologists and sociologists, and anyone interested in sport.>
About the author
Tony Collins is Emeritus Professor of History at De Montfort University and a Fellow of the Institute of Sports Humanities. His previous books include Rugby’s Great Split, Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain, A Social History of English Rugby Union and The Oval World, all of which won the Aberdare Prize for Sports History. @collinstonyWray Vamplew is Emeritus Professor of Sports History at the University of Stirling, where he was appointed as Scotland’s first Chair in Sports History, and Global Professorial Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. He has authored and edited more than twenty books, including most recently, Numbers and Narratives: Sport, History and Economics (2018).
