'The news that sells': Sport and the press in British society, 1855--1914

This dissertation examines the development of sporting news in the penny press and its effects on British society between 1855 and 1914. The birth of the penny press in the 1850s was a vital element in the re-creation of horse racing, soccer, and cricket during the last half of the nineteenth century. These sports and the press became interdependent partners; the transformation of horse racing, soccer, and cricket was linked to their coverage in the press. By the end of the 1880s, no morning or evening newspaper in pursuit of a mass audience could afford to neglect sporting news.; Beginning in the late 1850s, the press encouraged the organization and promotion of horse racing, soccer and cricket on a regional and national scale. In the case of horse racing, a mass betting culture emerged which depended on the training intelligence, starting prices, and predictions published by penny newspapers. Newspapers were also a critical factor in the growth of soccer and cricket as popular, commercialized sports with regularized schedules. The press was instrumental in the formation of the Football Association in 1863 and, by 1870 it had invented the county championship in cricket. With the success of these sporting ventures the press gained regular content for its columns and material to devote to special evening editions. Sporting news facilitated the collective experience of horse racing, soccer, and cricket on a national scale.; Newspapers were cultural productions which constructed and articulated the meanings of sport. By the 1880s, even as professional athletes rose to prominence in soccer and cricket with the aid of the press, newspapers remained wedded to the amateur ideal. This ethos also triumphed at the 1908 Olympic Games in London as the press celebrated British sport in its battle against the world. The press was a creative force which helped to shape the multi-faceted meanings of racing, soccer, cricket, and the Olympics.