2008-07-14 Not quite what I was expecting, but still a very enjoyable read...

This book wasn't quite what I expected. For a while I found that difficult, but in the end I really, really enjoyed it. What did I expect? From the quotes surrounding the book (and the title) I was hoping for a structured dissection of the way sport works - what makes heroes, what makes villains; why we play it, why we watch it; what is good sport, what isn't. Instead, the Meaning of Sport is a meandering journey of a couple of years with Simon Barnes, Chief Sportswriter at the Times newspaper. It is roughly structured around his trips over that period: including Euro 2004, the Athens Olympics, Ellen MacArthur's return, the London Olympic bid, Liverpool's miraculous Champion's League Final win, a couple of Wimbledons, The Ashes 2005, and rounding off with England's Germany 2006 journey, and also including many other events in between.

This journey gives Barnes reference points from which to digress - and chances to discuss all the questions I hoped he would discuss and more. It also gives him the chance to tell some wonderful stories and give some intriguing opinions and views on the world of sport: past, present and future.

Like I said - I really enjoyed the book, and once I'd settled for what it was I didn't have any worries. But at the start I didn't really get it. There were bits and pieces that seemed irrelevant: indeed the autobiographical structure also gives way to autobiographical aspects - such as Barnes' love for bird watching - and at the start especially, I found this frustrating.

This is not a structured discussion on the meaning of sport. It is more a stream of consciousness discussion of a man's thoughts on it. But because the man is Simon Barnes - intelligent, empathic, funny and extremely experienced - the book is interesting. There are some fabulous stories, some great observations (the sort I've found myself bringing up in conversation with everyone I think might be interested for the last two weeks). And the climax - following the hopes of the nation in Germany 2006 - is brilliant and apt.

I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it - but be prepared for a mixed bag of thoughts and observations. Some you'll like, some you won't. But the overall book is one well worth reading.