The club: how the English Premier League became the wildest, richest, most disruptive force in sports

Most sports books focus on players, coaches, and games for an obvious reason: business is boring. But given money's increasing influence on the on-field product, maybe we should pay closer attention to the men in suits behind the scenes. In this lively, fast-moving history of the Premier League, Robinson and Clegg, who together cover English soccer for the Wall Street Journal, use unparalleled access to chronicle the backroom deals and boardroom battles of the world's richest and most-watched sports league. From sponsorship, TV rights, stadium deals, and foreign ownership to ever-escalating transfer fees and player salaries, the authors succinctly synthesize how money is changing the game. (As in Stefan Szymanski's Money and Soccer, 2015, they note the near-exact correlation between money spent and final league position.) With century-old workingmen's clubs transformed into billionaires' trophy investments and global entertainment brands and as the top league's top clubs threaten yet another breakaway will the Premier League become a victim of its own success? Swift, savvy, and frequently funny, this is a premier primer for soccer fans and sports-management students alike.--Keir Graff Copyright 2018 Booklist

Journalists Robinson and Clegg, both of the Wall Street Journal, expertly explore the creation and expansion of the English Premier League, club soccer's preeminent sports organization, in this investigative chronicle of sports, business, and global culture. The league was formed in 1992 when England's top soccer teams broke with the country's football league, in which they had been "bound to every other club in the country by a four-tiered structure" since the 19th century. By creating their own top-tier league, team representatives capitalized on new revenue streams, including a A£304 million TV contract from Rupert Murdoch's Sky TV. Enthralled by the intense competition and an influx of cash, billionaire owners from the U.S., Russia, and the Middle East bought up the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City and began playing in state-of-the-art stadiums, selling merchandise internationally, and paying the world's best players exorbitant salaries. Using their investigative journalism skills and mixing facts into a solidly entertaining narrative that melds boom-and-bust business with athletic competition at the highest level, the authors perfectly capture the rise of one of the world's best-known sports organizations. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A couple of American billionaires, a Russian oligarch, an Arab sheikh, and a Thai business titan are the star players in the incredible rise of the English Premiere League (EPL), the most dominant sports business in the world. Journalists Robinson and Clegg, who cover English football for the Wall Street Journal, had unprecedented access to owners, players, and managers from the "Bix Six" teams (Manchester United, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham) as well as those in the relegation zone. The authors weave a tale of how these characters spent billions to lure the world's best players and managers to transform these English clubs with loyal but small, local fan bases into the most watched and followed sporting enterprise. Their story is not an exhaustive history of the league, at least not in terms of wins and losses or championships, but instead a close-up examination of how the EPL became a sports empire. ­VERDICT The authors present a well-researched ­account of the EPL that is at times ­amusing, at times ­astounding, but always gripping and ­entertaining. This should appeal to soccer fans as well as those wondering why the EPL is what it is today.-Michael C. Miller, ­Austin P.L. & Austin History Ctr., TX © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Most sports books focus on players, coaches, and games for an obvious reason: business is boring. But given money's increasing influence on the on-field product, maybe we should pay closer attention to the men in suits behind the scenes. In this lively, fast-moving history of the Premier League, Robinson and Clegg, who together cover English soccer for the Wall Street Journal, use unparalleled access to chronicle the backroom deals and boardroom battles of the world's richest and most-watched sports league. From sponsorship, TV rights, stadium deals, and foreign ownership to ever-escalating transfer fees and player salaries, the authors succinctly synthesize how money is changing the game. (As in Stefan Szymanski's Money and Soccer, 2015, they note the near-exact correlation between money spent and final league position.) With century-old workingmen's clubs transformed into billionaires' trophy investments and global entertainment brands—and as the top league's top clubs threaten yet another breakaway—will the Premier League become a victim of its own success? Swift, savvy, and frequently funny, this is a premier primer for soccer fans and sports-management students alike. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

From Robinson, European sports correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, and Clegg, a WSJ editor, comes a story not so much about the game of soccer but the money angle: how secret meetings in 1992 updated the sport, turning it into a huge entertainment arena where Russian oligarchs, Emirati sheikhs, and American and Asian magnates vie for control.

A couple of American billionaires, a Russian oligarch, an Arab sheikh, and a Thai business titan are the star players in the incredible rise of the English Premiere League (EPL), the most dominant sports business in the world. Journalists Robinson and Clegg, who cover English football for the Wall Street Journal, had unprecedented access to owners, players, and managers from the "Bix Six" teams (Manchester United, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham) as well as those in the relegation zone. The authors weave a tale of how these characters spent billions to lure the world's best players and managers to transform these English clubs with loyal but small, local fan bases into the most watched and followed sporting enterprise. Their story is not an exhaustive history of the league, at least not in terms of wins and losses or championships, but instead a close-up examination of how the EPL became a sports empire. VERDICT The authors present a well-researched account of the EPL that is at times amusing, at times astounding, but always gripping and entertaining. This should appeal to soccer fans as well as those wondering why the EPL is what it is today.—Michael C. Miller, Austin P.L. & Austin History Ctr., TX

Journalists Robinson and Clegg, both of the Wall Street Journal, expertly explore the creation and expansion of the English Premier League, club soccer's preeminent sports organization, in this investigative chronicle of sports, business, and global culture. The league was formed in 1992 when England's top soccer teams broke with the country's football league, in which they had been "bound to every other club in the country by a four-tiered structure" since the 19th century. By creating their own top-tier league, team representatives capitalized on new revenue streams, including a £304 million TV contract from Rupert Murdoch's Sky TV. Enthralled by the intense competition and an influx of cash, billionaire owners from the U.S., Russia, and the Middle East bought up the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City and began playing in state-of-the-art stadiums, selling merchandise internationally, and paying the world's best players exorbitant salaries. Using their investigative journalism skills and mixing facts into a solidly entertaining narrative that melds boom-and-bust business with athletic competition at the highest level, the authors perfectly capture the rise of one of the world's best-known sports organizations. (Dec.)