Stephen Mumford is a lifelong football fan and Sheffield United season ticket holder. He writes regularly for the sporting press and is a professor of philosophy at Durham University.

‘Stephen Mumford uses his considerable philosophical expertise to explain why football is the most popular sport in the world. His analysis will add much to his readers’ enjoyment of the game.’David Papineau, author of Knowing the Score: How Sport Teaches Us About Philosophy‘The perfect gift for soccer fans new to philosophy or philosophers new to soccer – this book is a rich, multi-layered reflection on both.’Alan White, Williams College‘The game is one of the great survivors, a leviathan led by donkeys.’ The Times‘impressively insightful... There are an awful lot of football fans out there and there’s something about the sport that connects us in enthralling ways with our deepest aesthetic, moral and existential questions. This thoroughly engaging book undoubtedly helps us to understand that something.’Times Higher Education Supplement"Mumford provides a scintillating read filled with thought-provoking ideas, drawing examples from past and present times. The author's skill in presenting the philosophical approach in a concise and consumable manner is crucial to making this book accessible."Choice

• 1. Introduction 2. Beauty3. Wholes4. Space5. Chance6. VictoryFurther Reading

Stephen Mumford is a lifelong football fan and Sheffield United season ticket holder. He writes regularly for the sporting press and is a professor of philosophy at Durham University.

‘Stephen Mumford uses his considerable philosophical expertise to explain why football is the most popular sport in the world. His analysis will add much to his readers’ enjoyment of the game.’David Papineau, author of Knowing the Score: How Sport Teaches Us About Philosophy‘The perfect gift for soccer fans new to philosophy or philosophers new to soccer – this book is a rich, multi-layered reflection on both.’Alan White, Williams College‘The game is one of the great survivors, a leviathan led by donkeys.’ The Times‘impressively insightful... There are an awful lot of football fans out there and there’s something about the sport that connects us in enthralling ways with our deepest aesthetic, moral and existential questions. This thoroughly engaging book undoubtedly helps us to understand that something.’Times Higher Education Supplement"Mumford provides a scintillating read filled with thought-provoking ideas, drawing examples from past and present times. The author's skill in presenting the philosophical approach in a concise and consumable manner is crucial to making this book accessible."Choice

• 1. Introduction 2. Beauty3. Wholes4. Space5. Chance6. VictoryFurther Reading

Stephen Mumford is a lifelong football fan and Sheffield United season ticket holder. He writes regularly for the sporting press and is a professor of philosophy at Durham University.

‘Stephen Mumford uses his considerable philosophical expertise to explain why football is the most popular sport in the world. His analysis will add much to his readers’ enjoyment of the game.’David Papineau, author of Knowing the Score: How Sport Teaches Us About Philosophy‘The perfect gift for soccer fans new to philosophy or philosophers new to soccer – this book is a rich, multi-layered reflection on both.’Alan White, Williams College‘The game is one of the great survivors, a leviathan led by donkeys.’ The Times‘impressively insightful... There are an awful lot of football fans out there and there’s something about the sport that connects us in enthralling ways with our deepest aesthetic, moral and existential questions. This thoroughly engaging book undoubtedly helps us to understand that something.’Times Higher Education Supplement"Mumford provides a scintillating read filled with thought-provoking ideas, drawing examples from past and present times. The author's skill in presenting the philosophical approach in a concise and consumable manner is crucial to making this book accessible."Choice

• 1. Introduction 2. Beauty3. Wholes4. Space5. Chance6. VictoryFurther Reading