How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports
July 1, 2018
From Robinson, European sports correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, and Clegg, a WSJ editor, comes a story not so much about the game of soccer but the money angle: how secret meetings in 1992 updated the sport, turning it into a huge entertainment arena where Russian oligarchs, Emirati sheikhs, and American and Asian magnates vie for control.
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
A couple of American billionaires, a Russian oligarch, an Arab sheikh, and a Thai business titan are the star players in the incredible rise of the English Premiere League (EPL), the most dominant sports business in the world. Journalists Robinson and Clegg, who cover English football for the Wall Street Journal, had unprecedented access to owners, players, and managers from the "Bix Six" teams (Manchester United, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham) as well as those in the relegation zone. The authors weave a tale of how these characters spent billions to lure the world's best players and managers to transform these English clubs with loyal but small, local fan bases into the most watched and followed sporting enterprise. Their story is not an exhaustive history of the league, at least not in terms of wins and losses or championships, but instead a close-up examination of how the EPL became a sports empire. VERDICT The authors present a well-researched account of the EPL that is at times amusing, at times astounding, but always gripping and entertaining. This should appeal to soccer fans as well as those wondering why the EPL is what it is today.--Michael C. Miller, Austin P.L. & Austin History Ctr., TX
Copyright 1 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.