SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2014Spectator sport is living, breathing, non-stop theatre for all.Focusing on spectator sports and their accompanying issues, tracing their origins, evolution and impact, inside the lines and beyond the boundary, this book offers a thematic history of professional sport and the ingredients that magnetise millions around the globe.It tells the stories that matter: from the gladiators of Rome to the runners of Rift Valley via the innovator-missionaries of Rugby School; from multi-faceted British exports to the Americanisation of professionalism and the Indianisation of cricket.Rob Steen traces the development of these sports which captivate the turnstile millions and the mouse-clicking masses, addressing their key themes and commonalities, from creation myths to match fixing via race, politics, sexuality and internationalism.Insightful and revelatory, this is an entertaining exploration of spectator sports' intrinsic place in culture and how sport imitates life - and life imitates sport.

Introduction: It's Only Bats And Balls (But We Like It) - Why Spectator Sport Matters More Than It Did (And More Than It Should)1 The Sound (And Fury) Of The Crowd: Sport and Spectators2 Class Wars: How Spectator Sport Began3 Odds and Sods: Sport and Gambling4 Ringmasters Inc: Sport and Governance5 Sport and Professionalism I From "Gentlemen" to Shamateurs II Pride and Prejudice6 Well-Paid Slaves: Sport and Players' Rights7 The Us Syndrome: Sport and Internationalism8 Reluctant Partners: Sport and Politics9 No Normal Sport In An Abnormal Society: Sport and Race I - Disunited States II - For the Common Wealth 10 The Grass Ceiling: Sport and Sexuality