A Plague on All Our Sports is the story of what happened when Covid-19 and sport collided, examining the impact of the pandemic through a unique lens.

The book's two authors have each spent many years in sport: Mark Saggers as a radio and TV sports journalist, Bill Ribbans as a doctor and orthopaedic surgeon. Like most people, their professional lives were turned upside down by the pandemic, and both were intimately involved with the endeavours needed to help the sporting phoenix rise from the ashes.

The book analyses the way Covid-19 brought global sport to its knees. It charts sports' response to lockdowns, recovery planning, the obstacles faced and the modifications required to re-emerge.

What was the psychological effect of periods of padlocked gyms, domestic detention and banishment from football terraces? What were the long-term effects on mental health for professional athletes confined to 'bubbles'? Were the early promises of changing sport for the better followed through on?

About the Author

Bill Ribbans has been a doctor and orthopaedic surgeon for more than 43 years. His passion is sport, and he has spent his career caring for athletes. He has spent his professional life working in Britain and the USA. Mark Saggers has been a radio and TV broadcaster for more than 45 years, interviewing global sporting superstars, prime ministers and presidents. Mark has worked for the BBC, Sky, talkSPORT and TalkTV.

Reviews

"A Plague On All Our Sports is an absorbing account of the fateful collision between Covid and sport and its longer-term effects."

-- Rob Kitson * The Guardian *

"Yes, it's the story of the shadow that the pandemic cast on sport. But it is also 'M'. A must-read record of the curious mix of the major upheavals, the misery, and the moments of magic and madness in sport during that remarkable chapter of all our lives."

-- Paul Ross * TalkSPORT *
"Will resonate with any sports fan and anyone who works in sport. There are so many facets to it. It is genuinely really fascinating." -- Jake Sharpe * BBC Radio Northampton *

"A Plague on all our Sports is a fascinating book. It is a reminder of the difficulties to keep sport going in the face of huge restrictions during those odd times. It should leave no-one unaware of the colossal amount of work which went on behind the scenes and the impact it must have had on the players, support staff and administrators. It explains excellently how elite sportspeople train and adds a completely new interpretation of top-flight sport. A Plague on all our Sports has been an eye-opener and a very important book on the subject of Covid-19."

-- Andrew Roberts * Cricket Statistics *



Book Information
ISBN 9781801506687
Author Bill Ribbans
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Pitch Publishing Ltd
Publisher Pitch Publishing Ltd