Book review: Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Some of you that may have read this blog in the past will possibly have come to the conclusion that I have a slight obsession about sport in the 1980s. So when an opportunity came to review a book on the subject then I jumped at the chance, in true Carl Lewis style.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Roger Domeneghetti looks back at Britain, Sport and the 1980s, providing a fascinating review of a turbulent decade from numerous angles. Split into four distinct sections - Culture, Identity, Conflict, Politics - the book dives deep into a number of key topics.

"Sport is the key to understanding what really happened to Britain in the 1980s," Domeneghetti notes, and as you read the book it is hard to disagree. Detailing how sport was a mirror of society during the decade, Domeneghetti neatly explains this with examples dotted around throughout the chapters.

It is not hard to justify just how much the 1980s has helped shape modern Britain, and throughout the opening section on culture there are so many examples of how sport played a part in this. The growth of the sporting celebrity, on television and in newspapers; the circulation wars between the tabloids, leading to a change in the relationship between athletes and journalists; the start of the fitness boom in Britain.

The pervasion of US culture into British society through sport and television is also covered. The surge in the popularity of American Football on Channel 4 - bringing with it the growth in sporting montages - was mirrored on television screens - Dallas, Magnum, Dynasty - but also on our streets with the influence of McDonald's and Burger King.

The identity chapters expertly researched by Domeneghetti emphasise the best and worst of the decade. Slowly the role of women was changing in society, and the first seeds of a footballing revolution were planted when Channel 4 started to show highlights towards the end of the decade. Female sports presenters, in particular Sally Jones, began to pave the way for future generations.

But the sexism aimed at Jones - she would often be asked to explain the offside rule by doubting male journalists - was indicative of just how far things had to come in the 1980s. Female tennis players were regularly leered over in 'Wimblebum' slots in the Sun, a newspaper that was famed for its Page 3 girls.

Homophobia and racism are also tackled by Domeneghetti, the author using examples of sport to paint a wider picture of how these issues were a problem within the country and abroad. Why was there such a fascination in the sexuality of Martina Navratilova and Carl Lewis, and later Justin Fashanu? The vile racism faced by Paul Canoville and John Barnes, from their own Chelsea and England fans respectively, never makes easy reading.

Undoubtedly and understandably, Margaret Thatcher plays a central role in many of the subjects investigated in the conflict section. The role of the IRA, the Falklands War, hooliganism, and the miner's strike demonstrate the unsettled nature of the decade. 

Domeneghetti brings up an excellent point when discussing hooliganism: was this issue a problem for football or just society in general? Yes, hooligans were creating havoc up and down the country and on the continent. But inner city riots suggested that this was not just a sporting concern. Were the hooligans a "product of your society" as FA Secretary Ted Croker bravely stated to Thatcher in 1985?

The author cites some research carried out by Leicester University Associate Lecturer John Williams during the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Williams concluded that the fans were basically "a physical manifestation of the new right ideology of the Thatcher government that had been refracted through the press - led by the Sun." Government and newspaper influence - another key part of modern Britain.

Domeneghetti again hits the nail on the head during his politics part of the book. The hypocrisy of the government in pressurising athletes to boycott the Moscow Olympics versus their reluctance to stop anyone playing sport in Apartheid South Africa. How the disasters at Bradford and Hillsborough were down to a failure in public services during a decade of tragedies.

You can see Domeneghetti recognises how events in the 1980s point to the future. The sportswashing involved when rebel tourists played cricket in South Africa; how discussions for a football Super League would evolve into the Premier League; how money was entering football via young ambitious board members, and how this would impact the price of following the sport.

Domeneghetti writes in an engaging manner, cleverly linking themes in the various sections of the book, so much so that before you know it you have made your way through large chunks of the book. The biggest compliment I can give is to say that you do not have to have a particular interest in sport to enjoy this. 

Anyone with a curiosity in learning about how past events - sporting or otherwise - shape the future, reflect society at the time, and how history repeats itself, will find Everybody Wants to Rule the World an essential read. Superbly researched, the book flows beautifully through wide-ranging historical events.

Another plus comes in the chapter titles, named after many of the classic hits of the 1980s, including Two Tribes, Money For Nothing, and Under Pressure. These titles remind you that the decade contained some great songs, and others less than great. The book also reflects this; sport and the 1980s were a joy at times, yet there are some elements of both that were less than ideal.