The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer

Written by:
David Goldblatt
Narrated by:
Liam Gerrard

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
1
Narrator
1
Release Date
April 2020
Duration
38 hours 58 minutes
Summary
The definitive book about soccer, from the author of The Games: A Global History of the Olympics.

There may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is the World Cup final.

In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of soccer's rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world's most popular sport-now poised to fully establish itself in the USA. Already celebrated internationally, The Ball Is Round illuminates soccer's role in the political and social histories of modern societies, but never loses sight of the beauty, joy, and excitement of the game itself.
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Raynald L.

A comprehensive overview of the rise and domination of football globally. This is a very long book and the narration while quite good, can become tiring. My only critique is that the "North American" overview is quite limited and mostly pertaining to the U.S. It should be noted that North America does include Canada and Mexico, two countries that are largely overlooked in this book.

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