Amateurism and its interpretation: The social origins of british sport

Abstract

British amateurism was a complex phenomenon: it consisted of a set of principles (notably against profit from sport and against gambling), and also involved a distinctive administrative structure and ethos. A number of ‘theories’ of amateurism are examined in this paper in terms of the social origins of amateurism: Was it an upper class doctrine of ‘honour’ or a middle class doctrine of competition, or perhaps a complex blend of both?