Description
For many Australians, there are two great passions: sport and 窶�taking the piss窶�. This book is about national identity 窶� and especially about Australia窶冱 image as a sporting country. Whether reverent or not, any successful national image has to reflect something about the reality of the country. But it is also influenced by the reasons that people have for encouraging particular images 窶� and by the conflicts between differing views of national identity, and of sport.
Buffeted by these elements, both the extent of Australian sports madness and the level of stirring have varied considerably over time. While many refer to long-lasting factors, such as the amount of sunshine, this book argues that the ebb and flow of sporting images are strongly linked to current views of national identity. Starting from Archer窶冱 win in the first Melbourne Cup in 1861, it traces the importance of trade unions in the formation of Australian Rules, the success of a small rural town in holding one of the world窶冱 foremost running races, and the win-from-behind of a fat arsed wombat knocking off the official mascots of Sydney 2000.
This book was based on a special issue of Soccer and Society.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 2. Measuring Sports Madness 3. Sport and National Identity 4. 窶狼he Heart of What it Means to be Australian窶� 5. The Roar of the Crowd 6 .Lifeblood of the Community 7. Start of This 窶牢porting People窶� 8. Early Sports 1860窶�1900 9. Visions of Australian Sport in 1900 10. Sports Images in a Time of Turmoil 1910窶�40 11. Heyday of the Amateur?: 1950s 12. Changing Times 1960窶�75 13. Marketing Sports Nationalism 1975窶�85 14. Take the Money and Run 1985窶�2007 15. Conclusion
