About the Books

I have been an “ordinary spectator” – of rugby (league and union), cricket, football and a range of other sports – for over half a century.

I have written two books about the key moments I have witnessed…

Still An Ordinary Spectator: Five More Years of Watching Sport (2017) is a collection of published articles and essays.  It not only captures the thrill of watching some of the top sportsmen of the modern era at the top of their game, but also – by evocatively describing local sporting events within their specific communities: high school American Football in San Antonio, Gaelic Football in County Mayo, club cricket in Saltaire – seeks to reflect on sport’s inherent capacity to act as a barometer of the society around it.  There is a rich combination of contemporary detail and historical digression.

This more recent publication is a follow-up to the award-winning An Ordinary Spectator: 50 Years of Watching Sport (2012). This memoir of five decades of sports spectating – from Yorkshire to London to Scotland via New York and Sydney (and Minsk!) – describes my experiences as a spectator at various sports events and examines what it is that has drawn me back to watch time and time again.  The result is a unique perspective on why live sport is compulsive viewing.

The two books aim to be far more than simple “I was there” catalogues of sporting events – major and minor – over this long period.  Rather, they look to offer some insights into what we derive from sports spectating and – from an individual’s perspective – what watching sport tells us about ourselves.

Extracts from both Still An Ordinary Spectator: Five More Years of Watching Sport and An Ordinary Spectator: 50 Years of Watching Sport can be seen elsewhere on this website.  I hope you enjoy the items provided.

The website also gives details on how I can be contacted.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Still An Ordinary Spectator: Five More Years of Watching Sport and An Ordinary Spectator: 50 Years of Watching Sport can be purchased from SilverWood Books (www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk, click on “bookshop” then on “sports and leisure”) as well as from Amazon and good bookshops.

JOHN RIGG

Glasgow, UK