ABSTRACT

We are delighted to have had the opportunity to co-edit this volume of work on the ‘state of play’ in sports history around the world. Routledge is to be commended for adding sports history to their well-established list of ‘Handbooks’ (although we preferred ‘Companion’), which is evidence of the vibrancy of the field and testament to the work of the numerous scholars featured in this volume (as well as the countless others whose work has expanded the international sub-discipline of sports history). In this brief, introductory essay, our discussion parallels the structure of the Companion – we consider some general aspects of the rise of sports history as a recognized field of academic study and prominent themes within the literature, and then reflect upon the international development of sports history.1