Mud, sweat, and beers [electronic resource] : a cultural history of sport and alcohol / Tony Collins and Wray Vamplew.

ISBN:

9781350047648

Title:

Author:

Collins, Tony, 1961-

Personal Author:

Collins, Tony, 1961-

Publication Information:

Oxford ; New York : Berg, c2002.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (v, 151 p.)

Series:

Global sport cultures,

General Note:

Includes index.

Contents:

This sporting house: the pub and sport -- A thirsty business: the drinks industry and sport -- Cheers! alcohol and the sporting crowd -- A little of what does you good? alcohol, the athlete and sporting performance -- Conclusion: more than beer and skittles?.

Subject Term:

Athletes -- Alcohol use.

Drinking of alcoholic beverages -- Social aspects.

Alcoholic beverage industry.

Added Author:

Vamplew, Wray.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2002

Publication Information:

Oxford ; New York : Berg, c2002.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
362.292088796 21	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

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 today's 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.

Author Notes

Tony Collins is Research Fellow, International Centre for Sports History and Culture, De Montfort University. Wray Vamplew is Research Professor, University of Stirling.

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Part of the new "Global Sport Cultures" series, which examines and evaluates the role and relationship of sport in contemporary society, this volume treats the uneasy alliance between sport and alcohol. Chronicaling this cultural history from the English "sporting house" of the early 1800s, when pubs such as Crickets and The Hare & Hounds were founded, through the era of the prizefighting pubs (circa 1870s), Collins (De Montfort Univ.) and Vamplew (Stirling Univ.) trace beer licensing, taxation of pubs to support sporting facilities, and brewery ownership of sports clubs to the late 1600s. This symbiotic relationship was not only instigated but craftily marketed up until the Muscular Christianity/Temperance Movement epoch (1870s), when linking a moral message to sport and recreation became fashionable. The book also includes a well-referenced treatment of contemporary sporting culture and alcohol abuse. Although the work is grounded in the socio-cultural milieu of Britain, the book's message and content will be valuable to readers generally. Accordingly, this study is recommended for all students and scholars of the history and culture of sports. M. L. Krotee North Carolina State University