CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 2

PART I FROM TRADITIONAL SPORTS TO THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN FORMS OF SPORTS 8

1. Physical recreation and sport before the Victorians 10 1.1 Traditional and festive village sports 10 1.2 The upper classes and the early development of sport 12 1.3 The decline of traditional sports 14 2. Evolutions during the 19th century 17 2.1 Public school and university education 17 2.2 The first clubs and associations 19 2.3 The beginnings of sport representation in mass media 22 3. The new conception of sport at the end of the century 24 3.1 The progressive development of women’s sport 24 3.2 The amateur ethic 26 3.3 The triumph of professional and spectator sports 30

PART II THE EVOLUTION OF THE SPORT-MEDIA RELATIONSHIP DURING THE TWENTIETH CENTURY 33

1. Traditional broadcasting until the 1990s 36 1.1 The development of radio and television in Great Britain 36 1.2 The reign of the BBC 38 1.3 The age of commercial television 45 2. The arrival of satellite and new media companies 49 2.1 Satellite and cable television 49 2.2 Rupert Murdoch’s media and sport empire 53 3. The influence of television on sport 58 3.1 Television and sport sponsorship 58 3.2 How television transformed sports 64

PART III REPRESENTATIONS OF SPORTS IN THE BRITISH WRITTEN PRESS 69

1. The influence of newspapers on sports issues 72 1.1 Sports in the popular and quality press 72 1.2 The press and the problem of violence 76 2. Liverpool FC’s 2005 European victory 81 2.1 National support and memories of glory 81 2.2 Celebration of national heroes 86

CONCLUSION 92

BIBLIOGRAPHY 95

INTRODUCTION

On July 6, 2005 at 11:49 UTC the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – Jacques Rogge – announced in Singapore that the 2012 Games would be held in London. Britain will stage the Olympics for the first time since 1948