A review by thespiritoftheage
How Football Began: A Global History of How the World's Football Codes Were Born by Tony Collins

4.0

I love a good historical contextualisation of the things I love the most that legitimises my love for them, and How Football Began gave me precisely that. Touching heavily upon the basis of the sport in its origin (muscular Christianity, professionalism vs amateurism, class struggle), I loved the way Collins reconstructed the evolution of football from its start, an evolution that led to the triumphant non-british working class to reappropriate what had been a symbol of British imperialism. I really enjoyed the chapter on women's football in the c19, although it feels a bit stand alonish in perspective, I think it was well-argued. However, I must add that (personally) I could have done without some of the middle chapters.