Reviews
As an avid follower of the Premier League (COYS!), following its history from a business point of view enriched my understanding of why the EPL is the most exciting yet most ruthless league in football. I love the life of being a football fan, following every highs and lows your favorite club’s season, and feeling like you have a personal stake makes it thrilling. This book was well researched and explained business behind the pitch well, but left me feeling very jaded that football is unfortunately more about the money than it is about the game.
"The rise of the English Premier League is a story about the sports world's wildest gold rush. In the span of twenty-five years, the league's twenty clubs have increased their combined value by 10,000%, from around $100 million in 1992 to $15 billion today...How this happened is a tale of how the country that invented the world's game reinvented it and how a handful of secret meetings in 1992 spawned a crazy quarter century in which money, ambition, and uncommon drama turned an ancient league into the most obsessively followed sport's product on planet Earth." When I spotted this book at the University Bookstore one day, I felt like this was a book I wanted to read. Not unlike a lot of Americans, I was first enraptured into the football craze in 2014 with the World Cup, and followed the Premier League the following year. I also became a fan of the Men in Blazers show, which also helped garner interest in the sport. Therefore, the drama behind the scenes provides an interesting glance on how they got to this point. Robinson and Clegg treat this as a human drama combined with an age of empires, starting with the derelict state of English football in the 1980s--with decaying stadiums, a rise in hooliganism, and general disinterest in the sport. What stood out to me the most was the near lack of television coverage, considering the status of the sport. However, a series of events led to the twenty-two highest clubs of the Football League wanting to breakaway, due to an increase in television. And so, in 1992, they formed their own league, beginning an odyssey featuring money, stadiums, and new fans from across the globe. Their writing style is well done--they are not only informative, but also add a bit of snark to the narrative. For example, a bad broadcasting deal "was the rare negotiation that left everyone involved completely unhappy" (21). There are several others in which I found throughout the book, though I don't remember them from the back of my head. Combined with their quotations and interviews from different people across the creation of the Premier League, it feels like the reader has access to the boardrooms and bars alike. The structure is also well-done: starting from the beginning of the Premier League to the development of the game through changes in manager, owners, and even lunch. We get to see how Chelsea and Manchester City garnered the funds needed to become two of the biggest clubs in the world, and how the latter slowly changed the game. Simultaneously, we see the rise and fall of Blackburn Rovers, and how they didn't have a plan after they won a Premier League. The use of money also contributed to the downfall of Bradford City, which I also found curious. I also appreciated the story of how the United States plays into this. Originally, the Premier League took inspiration from the NFL, and tried to adapt some of their tactics. Over time, the United States developed its own intrigue with the sport; how the NBC took over from Fox was fascinating. Another substantial theme was how the sport became a representative of the intense capitalism that played into the game. The latter chapters, which showed how increased ticket prices and development was eating away from the soul of the game. A great book, whether you're a sports fan, a history nerd, or someone who wants to learn something new. (7.5/10)
More of a history of the premier league as a whole than I was hoping for. I thought the book would focus on the early formation of the league and the things that were at play at the time. That said, the story is well told and interesting, would particularly recommend it to those who are not soccer fans but curious to learn about the game and the EPL particularly.
This book's major flaw is that it's written solely for an American audience. Outside of two chapters, the mid-90s and early-2000s seem entirely left out, which, as a Newcastle fan, makes me more bitter than usual. Insulting Warren Barton was particularly confusing considering there was much to criticize Fox for in their handling of Premier League rights, and maybe mocking one pundit who had nothing to do with anything isn't a great way to go about it. Having said that, the book excels when it's talking about off-the-field drama, so the beginning and end were both interesting.
