The Age of Football

Soccer and the 21st Century

De: David Goldblatt

Narrado por: David Goldblatt

A monumental exploration of soccer and society in our time - by its preeminent historian.

In the 21st century, soccer commands the allegiance, interest, and engagement of more people in more places than any other phenomenon in the world. David Goldblatt - author of the acclaimed, best-selling The Ball Is Round - charts the sport's global cultural ascent, economic transformation, and deep politicization.

With breathtaking scope and unparalleled knowledge of the game, The Age of Football explores soccer's vital role in our social, political, and economic lives: its connections to social discord in the Middle East and political division in Europe; the reasons behind its surprising surge in popularity in China, India, and the United States; and its use (and misuse) in the global advance of equality and human rights. Goldblatt proves that whether you call it football or soccer, you can't make sense of the modern world without understanding its most popular sport.

©2019 David Goldblatt (P)2020 Tantor

loved it, learnt a lot.

I learnt about lesser known leagues and countries football all around the world and how corruption is holding it back in many countries

The globe is a 32 panel ball

All the beautiful grime of the beautiful game. Fully documents man’s attempt to scuff the truncated icosahedron with limited success.

Very informative

This book really drills down to the geopolitical effects both positive and negative that football has had globally. Book also spends a good amount of time discussing scandals and corruption from local leagues to the fifa HQ

A Beautiful Blend

The Age of Football by David Goldblatt is one of best books I have listened to on Audible. An amazing blend of world culture, politics, and soccer. A must listen for any soccer fan.

Incredible read!

very enjoyable, learned so much, narration was solid, was leary it was going to be too long but that wasn't the case at all. do yourself a favor and buy this, you won't regret it 😉

Great reading, uneven book

Goldblatt's narration here is excellent. It's always a treat when we are able to hear a book read aloud directly by the author! Words are given their proper emphasis, sarcasm and irony come through clearly, and the reading is quite engaging and exciting in general.

I wish I could say the same for the content. This book is like reading a string of long-form magazine articles. There are a number of interesting points, and Goldblatt seems to take much pleasure in hanging out everybody's dirty laundry for all to see. However, there really is no point to it all. It's a collection of stories of corruption, violence, and racism, laid bare for all to observe without the slightest hint of summation or generalization.

I loved the reading, but I simply can't recommend this book.