John Rigg was born and raised in Leeds, Yorkshire. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Economics, later completing a PhD.
He has worked as a research assistant at the University of London, as an economic consultant in London and in the Senior Civil Service in Scotland.
John has written 4 major non-fiction books – all published by Silverwood Books – 3 of which are on watching sport: An Ordinary Spectator: 50 Years of Watching Sport (2012), Still An Ordinary Spectator: Five More Years of Watching Sport (2017) and An Ordinary Spectator Returns: Watching Sport Again (2023). He has also written sport-related articles for Backspin, Backpass, The Nightwatchman: Wisden Cricket Quarterly, the Rugby League Journal, Forty-20 and (co-authored with Richard Lewney) the International Review of the Sociology of Sport.
John has been researching his family history for nearly 40 years and has published several articles for the Cleveland Family History Society Journal. The Line of Sixteen: Searching for my children’s great, great grandparents was published in 2025.
His non-family history articles also include those on economics and statistics for the Scottish Economic Bulletin and Scottish Economic Statistics.
John’s fiction is written under the name of JR Alexander. The novels – Shouting at the Window (2020) and On the Carousel (2021) – are published by High Ridge Publishing and available on Kindle and other online platforms. Long Forgotten Events will be published in 2025.
He is married with two children and lives in Scotland.
Find out more about John and his writing at: www.anordinaryspectator.com and www.jralexanderauthor.com
An Ordinary Spectator 