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Everything to Play For: The QI Book of Sports
Hop, skip and jump into this wonderfully curious grand tour of the world of sports, brought to you by QI Elves James Harkin and Anna Ptaszynski.
From sport's weirdest rules to its most unlikely heroes, each chapter of Everything to Play For is brimming with surprising facts and intriguing stories, including the psychology of football chants, comically large cricket bats, pole-vaulting priests and professional pillow-fighting.
Even if you've never asked yourself what David Attenborough has to do with yellow tennis balls, why Victorian doctors feared the outbreak of 'bicycle face'; or what led ancient Egyptian athletes to have their spleens removed, this book will give you the astonishing answers, and plenty more besides.
From sport's weirdest rules to its most unlikely heroes, each chapter of Everything to Play For is brimming with surprising facts and intriguing stories, including the psychology of football chants, comically large cricket bats, pole-vaulting priests and professional pillow-fighting.
Even if you've never asked yourself what David Attenborough has to do with yellow tennis balls, why Victorian doctors feared the outbreak of 'bicycle face'; or what led ancient Egyptian athletes to have their spleens removed, this book will give you the astonishing answers, and plenty more besides.
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Published October 17, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 31, 2023
Having almost no interest in the subject of sports, I put off reading a book for the Nonfiction Reader Challenge category as long as I could. I had drawn up a small shortlist of titles but, as a fan of the informative and hilarious British trivia panel television show, QI, when I spotted Everything To Play For as a new release in a library catalogue, I immediately snapped it up.
Authored by two of the show’s ‘elves’ (aka researchers), Everything To Play For reflects the spirit of the program. Exploring the weird and wonderful wide world of sports, from the disputed origins of golf, to the tactics of tug-of-war, from the invention of the anti-orgasm bicycle seat, to the psychology of teamwork, and much more, the anecdotes embrace the idea that participating in, or watching, sport is about more than just the game, it is an integral part of the human experience with implications for individuals, society, politics, and technology.
Almost in spite of myself I found this book to be intriguing, surprising and entertaining. I had thought I might end up skimming parts, but I even read the extensive footnotes. I feel I learned a lot of fascinating, if perhaps ultimately useless, trivia. I don’t need to know that the football huddle originated with a Gallaudet University quarterback, Paul Dillingham Hubbard, who needed to communicate with his team, or that the invention of plastic was due to the pursuit of cheaper billiard balls, or even that see-sawing was once a Roman spectator sport, but I’m weirdly glad I do.
Written in a personable tone, and with plenty of humour, this book can be read straight through, or dipped into as desired. Ideal for sports fans and trivia buffs, Everything To Play For is all fun and games.
Authored by two of the show’s ‘elves’ (aka researchers), Everything To Play For reflects the spirit of the program. Exploring the weird and wonderful wide world of sports, from the disputed origins of golf, to the tactics of tug-of-war, from the invention of the anti-orgasm bicycle seat, to the psychology of teamwork, and much more, the anecdotes embrace the idea that participating in, or watching, sport is about more than just the game, it is an integral part of the human experience with implications for individuals, society, politics, and technology.
Almost in spite of myself I found this book to be intriguing, surprising and entertaining. I had thought I might end up skimming parts, but I even read the extensive footnotes. I feel I learned a lot of fascinating, if perhaps ultimately useless, trivia. I don’t need to know that the football huddle originated with a Gallaudet University quarterback, Paul Dillingham Hubbard, who needed to communicate with his team, or that the invention of plastic was due to the pursuit of cheaper billiard balls, or even that see-sawing was once a Roman spectator sport, but I’m weirdly glad I do.
Written in a personable tone, and with plenty of humour, this book can be read straight through, or dipped into as desired. Ideal for sports fans and trivia buffs, Everything To Play For is all fun and games.
January 22, 2024
I'm now vaguely familiar with every sport !
January 10, 2024
Really enjoyed a meander through a whole bunch of strange facts related to sport. Yes, sports and trivia is right in my Venn diagram of interests and I already love QI and No Such Thing As A Fish, but this book is well written and full of interesting and odd facts about some popular (and some not so popular) sports.
April 16, 2024
Although there were some really interesting facts and chapters, I didn’t find this easy to read at all. Far too many asterisks shooting off into separate stories that were too long. However as mentioned some really interesting items about the world of sport. Content was great, maybe just structure and writing not brilliant?
December 13, 2023
This was fine but at times felt a little dry. I listened to the audiobook and the best part of the book was the bonus feature where the authors were just chatting together about doing the research for the book.
April 13, 2024
Sports turn out to be a really great subject for the nerdy vibe of QI/no such thing as a fish. This was a lot of fun, and the facts about all sports - from professional to esoteric and everything in-between - are often unexpected and genuinely interesting.
May 17, 2024
Really fun read. You can just pick it up whenever and know you are in for an entertaining sports tidbit. The story format is much more readable than just a collection of facts. Would absolutely recommend!
June 2, 2024
A sort of compendium of sports
around the world, including the craziest stories of their origins, which makes you want to annoy anyone sitting at your table by recounting them ad nauseum. Would only have awarded 4 stars if they hadn't mentioned bog-snorkelling in Wales, but of course they did.
around the world, including the craziest stories of their origins, which makes you want to annoy anyone sitting at your table by recounting them ad nauseum. Would only have awarded 4 stars if they hadn't mentioned bog-snorkelling in Wales, but of course they did.
July 25, 2024
A very entertaining book about sports. It covers the impact on society and our psychology and physiology, whilst also being an entertaining run through of anecdotes covering the famous, the infamous and the bizarre.
Exactly what I was looking for from a QI book.
Exactly what I was looking for from a QI book.
December 26, 2023
I love the podcast and I love Qi. Though I'm not so interested in sports, this was just as fabulous as I thought it would be.
January 22, 2024
A book of 2 halves. The second half was way better IMHO so worth sticking with it to the end. At the very least you’ll pick up a few sports based factoids to wow friends with.
May 18, 2024
A typically quirky compendium, which digs into the history books and comes up with some mighty tales (Native American gridiron players, female cyclists). A great loo book.
July 1, 2024
Interesting, entertaining and well researched book about niche sports and why they are integral to the fabric of life. I particularly liked the fact about why America have Presidents!
July 20, 2024
Interesting information presented in a very dull fashion.
June 9, 2024
I'm not a massive sports fan, I follow the F1 with half an eye, and try and keep up with what St. Mirren are up to, but that's about it. This book however, was a wonderful wander through the whole world of sport. You really don't need to be a sports fan to enjoy this, it's a wonderful collection of interesting and fun facts, brought together in an easy chatty style.
Unlike many of the former QI books, this is more of a narrative than a simple collection of facts. The book is split into chapters covering topics as diverse as Balls, Cheating and Fans. Rather than just a straight history, the topic is covered with some historical detail, so the history of what was used as balls in various sports, but this is then broken up with some Quite Interesting facts around the topic. And just in case that's not enough, if the diversion isn't enough, you can get diverted further with footnotes, to give you the interesting little snippets you can use next time you're chatting sports.
Unlike many of the former QI books, this is more of a narrative than a simple collection of facts. The book is split into chapters covering topics as diverse as Balls, Cheating and Fans. Rather than just a straight history, the topic is covered with some historical detail, so the history of what was used as balls in various sports, but this is then broken up with some Quite Interesting facts around the topic. And just in case that's not enough, if the diversion isn't enough, you can get diverted further with footnotes, to give you the interesting little snippets you can use next time you're chatting sports.
April 5, 2024
Initially I thought this may fall into the trap of some "fact" books which become encyclopedias by any other name, but actually there is a structure, it discusses the psychology of sports, the evolutionary need for them and their very human connection. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope that the amazing stories not covered in this book may be followed in a future title!
February 9, 2024
Packed full of interesting sporting facts, and debunking others I thought were facts! A little bitty in places, as to be expected of a book of facts, but there is a linking narrative that keptme on line.
Read
July 4, 2024so much fun!
January 19, 2024
This rather Amusing Book was Mentioned in the Spectator books of the year as the best sports book & That's Good Enough for Me!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews