Pay Up and Play the Game

The book offers a comprehensive economic analysis of the rise of mass spectator sport in pre-World War I Britain, drawing from extensive club and association records. It delves into the conflicts between commercialism and traditional 'gentlemanly' values, particularly as working-class involvement grew, exemplified by Blackburn Olympic's 1883 FA Cup victory over the Old Etonians. Wray Vamplew also investigates the connections between sport, gambling, crime, and spectator violence, revealing that many contemporary issues, including football hooliganism, trace back to this 'Golden Age' of sport.