Rediscovering soccer's long history in the U.S.Across North America, native peoples and colonists alike played a variety of kicking games long before soccer's emergence in the late 1800s. Brian D. Bunk examines the development and social impact of these sports through the rise of professional soccer after World War I. As he shows, the various games called football gave women an outlet as athletes and encouraged men to form social bonds based on educational experien...

Played by both migrants and native-born Americans, soccer created communities across the United States. Brian D. Bunk ranges from Pawtucket to Honolulu as he illuminates the deep and diverse origins of the American sport.Soccer took root as immigration, urbanization, and industrialization triggered immense changes across society. Matches built local pride as teams battled rival neighborhoods and towns. Teammates and supporters shared meals, raised money for fallen players, and atte...

The question of what caused the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) is the central focus of modern Spanish historiography. In Ghosts of Passion, Brian D. Bunk argues that propaganda related to the revolution of October 1934 triggered the broader conflict by accentuating existing social tensions surrounding religion and gender. Through careful analysis of the images produced in books, newspapers, posters, rallies, and meetings, Bunk contends that Spain’s civil war was not inevitable. Comme...

The Shortest History of Football takes readers on an epic journey from the game's humble origins to its place today at the pinnacle of global popular culture.From the muddy trenches of Flanders to the stadium-palaces of Saudi Arabia, from the ancient Mayans to Leo Messi, from the first recorded women's football match to today's Lionesses, this is a concise yet comprehensive history of the world's best-loved and most influential sport.For history buffs and football fa...

The classic bestseller that changed how the world thinks about football'Quite magnificent – a sort of Freakanomics of football.' Jonathan Wilson, Guardian**'If you're a football fan, I'll save you some time: read this book' Daily Telegraph__________Football truly is the world’s favourite game, followed in over 200 countries by hundreds of millions of people pourin...

This country and its people are made of the same hardy stuff that makes our game and our league. The Grey Cup has helped unite our country for 100 years now. And it has revealed us, built our pride and our sense of Canadianness in annual tributes to effort, sweat and toil. But what does 100 years of history and cultural relevance add up to? When we Canadians look at the Grey Cup, we see far more than a gleaming football trophy; we see a reflection of ourselves. After its first years as an ...

THE DEFINITIVE, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BOOK ABOUT FOOTBALL'Football conquered the world with its capacity to astonish, and this is its definitive history' The IndependentThere may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is t...

For readers of The Boys in the Boat and Against All OddsJoin a ragtag group of misfits from Dawson City as they scrap to become the 1905 Stanley Cup champions and cement hockey as Canada’s national pastimeAn underdog hockey team traveled for three and a half weeks from Dawson City to Ottawa to play for the Stanley Cup in 1905. The Klondikers’ eagerness to make the journey, and the public’s enthusiastic response, revealed j...

A National Bestseller!A new collection of the best Canadian trivia in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday.Just in time for Canada’s 150th birthday comes this collection of the best in Canadian questions and answers, covering history, famous Canadians, sports, word origins, geography, and everything in between. In these pages, you’ll learn the answers to questions like:Where did the word Canuck come from?How did an aristocratic ...

In 1928 two extraordinary Englishmen competed in an unprecedented event - a transcontinental road race across America that required them to run an average of 40 miles for 80 consecutive days.Despite being separated by class, education and age, Peter Gavuzzi and Arthur Newton became close friends and formed a successful business partnership as endurance athletes. They raced in 500-mile relays, in 24-hour events, in snowshoes and against horses; and they became the stars of a craze f...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST SPORTS WRITING OF THE YEAR AWARDLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDA GUARDIAN SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEARA WATERSTONES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR'A marvellous football book, although it is much more than that' The Times'More Than A Shirt shows why geopolitics keeps invading the pitch' The Economist

Mitchell Symons has stats and stories to entertain and amaze you!Did the Olympians really compete in the buff?Which striker's shorts fell down when he was taking a penalty?Which sport consists of running while juggling?Which football team's fanzine is called Linesman, You're Rubbish?