Sports Knight

Sports Knight uncovers the life stories behind the nation’s sporting knights and dames, offering a compelling alternative history of British sport and society across the past century. Why were these sporting greats held up as national role models? And what does this say about our priorities and values? Inevitably, the book features more men than women, more rich than poor and more white people than black people. That, in itself, is revealing. For no matter what we think of the selection process (‘an utter crapshoot’ is the view of one national newspaper), the stories of the sporting heroes whom the government has chosen to honour with a title tell us much about the history of British sport and society. The six-time Olympic champion Chris Hoy once said, ‘To become a knight from riding a bike – it’s mad!’ And he’s right: it is mad. But, as Sports Knight shows, there is method in the madness.