Mud, Sweat and Beers: A Cultural History of Sport and Alcohol (Global Sport Cultures) by Tony Collins


Mud, Sweat and Beers: A Cultural History of Sport and Alcohol (Global Sport Cultures)
Title : Mud, Sweat and Beers: A Cultural History of Sport and Alcohol (Global Sport Cultures)
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1859735533
ISBN-10 : 9781859735534
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 160
Publication : First published May 1, 2002

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 todays 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.

Mud, Sweat and Beers: A Cultural History of Sport and Alcohol (Global Sport Cultures) Reviews

  • Malcolm

    One of the more perplexing things about published work in sports history is the tendency to ignore sport's close historical and industrial relationships with alcohol. This is not about the moral panic of drunk sports fans, but about the central role that the alcohol industry and especially pubs played in the emergence, development, and forms of pre-modern and modern sport. This short book begins that exploration for Britain by sketching central relationships such as the vital role of the pub in sport, the industry's role as a supporter of sport, crowd uses of alcohol, and the question of alcohol and sports performance (it is not always an impediment). The absolute paucity of material exploring these issues in the UK (this is one of the few pieces of scholarly work to address these issues explicitly) means that I have more questions than answers, not about the case being made, but about the relationship in general, and that is a good thing. If more people, students especially, read it and research ideas then all the better. The case is clear, the scholarship (as I would expect for these two) excellent, and the book extremely useful.