Foul Play: What's Wrong with Sport
UK £8.99,Canada $18.00,
UK Publication April 2004
ISBN 9781840468908
Paperback
Buy: | " title="Buy on Amazon UK" target="_blank">Amazon UK| " title="Buy on Amazon UK" target="_blank">Amazon US| Waterstones| Book Depository
A Chinese man watching a football match runs out of a burning building with his TV set in his arms, leaving his wife and child to fend for themselves. A French tennis coach drugs his children's opponents, causing one death. An England supporter, upset at his team's exit from a football tournament, stabs a Russian student for 'sounding German'.
What is it about sport that makes people behave so irrationally?
Joe Humphreys challenges the idea that sport is a positive influence on athletes, spectators and the world as a whole. Tracing the history of organised game-playing, he points out that football alone has more followers today than either Christianity or Islam. But does that make sport a religion, or a dangerous cult?
Drawing on thinkers from Plato to Bill Shankly, Foul Play shows how sport is bad for your health and damaging to your character, as well as being the last refuge of sexism, racism, homophobia and animal cruelty.
Foul Play is for anyone who believes that their head is not just for keepie-uppies.
Click here to see the author's website.
--------------
‘One of the year’s most amusing reads, a carefully controlled rant backed with well-researched facts, which makes for thought-provoking, if not always comfortable, reading.’ Observer; ‘This is a timely book, and one that, being written in very easy-to-read prose, takes the fight right to the enemy.’ Guardian Paperback Choice; ‘Foul Play offers an impressive extended essay into sport’s many failings.’ Metro; ‘The book is provocative, well-researched and turns up a lot of interesting and amusing anecdotal evidence.’ Daily Telegraph; ‘It is eminently readable, humorous in parts, breathtakingly cynical in others, but throughout argues that sport is bad for mind, body and soul.’ Scotland on Sunday; ‘entertaining, thought-provoking and well worth a read’ Scotland on Sunday; ‘Well, Joe Humprhreys is mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore, and has written a shibboleth-busting polemic to prove it. No opportunity is overlooked not only to debunk popular assumptions of the social and personal utility of sport but to expose the various hypocrisies and inconsistencies of the major sports’ governing bodies.' Irish Times--------------
Joe Humphreys is an Irish journalist and author. Having been a (highly-unsuccessful) racing tipster, he is currently a staff journalist with the Irish Times, writing news, features, and even occasionally sport. Born and raised in Ireland, he holds an MA in Political Philosophy, supports West Ham United, and lives currently in South Africa.
See more books by: Joe Humphreys
