The Only Game: Football in Our Times

About this book

With more than 80 illustrations, this is an up- to-date look at the English national pastime, football, with its a noble past, extraordinary present and an unimaginable future. From its humble origins in the late 19th century, the game of football has reached far beyond the field itself to become the most lucrative and the most popular sport in the world. Yet little more than a decade ago, English football was in a state of terminal decline, pockmarked by disasters, plagued by hooliganism and tainted by racism. What has happened to change football so dramatically? The Only Game is the first book to present a broad historical sweep of the game, harnessing the incredible events of the last ten years. Jim Walvin explores in detail the years of violence, racism and ultimately tragedy, on football's crumbling terraces during the 1970s and '80s and then goes on to show how the game has been transformed since the formation of the Premier League in 1992. The marriage of football and BskyB television saw dizzying amounts of money flooding into the game and as the players have become millionaires with celebrity status, the fans have returned to the game in huge numbers, en route buying football merchandise on an epic scale. The Only Game also looks into how the British game has been saved not only by the massive influx of cash but also by becoming more cosmopolitan, embracing the skills of foreign players and relishing in our success in international competitions. Walvin's quirky observations and compelling stories on the game combine to give a fresh reappraisal of how "the people's game" has become "the only game" for millions of people around the world. James Walvin is the author of The People's Game which has been in print for almost 30 years.