It is possible to love football without loving the culture of the English Premiership. The waves of cash that have rolled into the game since the deal with Sky in 1991 may not have fundamentally altered the character of the sport - a quarter of a century ago, Tom Stoppard was making a character in his play Professional Foul complain about the 'yob ethics' of the game - but they have made it worse. The players are richer, greedier and nastier, and almost mystically free from any sense of wider perspectives and responsibilities.

LRB 17 October 2002 | PDF Download