Sport and the Working Class in Modern Britain

Covering the period since World War II, the author considers over 100 novels, treating them thematically, with separate chapters on the fictions of boxing, football, baseball, and basketball. His theme - the drive toward individual freedom through sport. Looking beyond the professional spectator sports, 11 essays examine popular sports, in which ordinary mortals team up with their mates to compete against other neighborhoods, factories, unions, etc.