ABSTRACT
The conclusion reveals how the link between sport and war became firmly embedded in the public consciousness in the years following Victoria’s accession. Sporting metaphors not only made the confusion of conflict understandable but also infused the horror of combat with a sense of nobility. This was particularly important during the two total wars of the twentieth century. Even in the television age, war continued to be packaged as a spectator sport. As this works shows, this prettifying of war helped to normalise conflict.
