Rugby League In Twentieth Century Britain Uses A Range Of Previously Unexplored Archival Sources To Investigate The Lives Of Those Who Played, Watched And Ran The Sport. It Considers The Impact Of Two World Wars, The Significance Of The Game's Expansion To Australasia And The Momentous Decision To Take Rugby League To Wembley. It Investigates For The First Time The History Of Rugby Union's Long-running War Against League, And The Sport's Troubled Relationship With The National Media. Most Importantly, The Book Sheds New Light On Broader Issues Of Social Class, Gender And Working-class Masculinity, Regional Identity And The Profound Impact Of The Decline Of Britain's Traditional Industries. For Those Interested In The History Of Sport And Working-class Culture, This Is Essential Reading.--jacket. Introduction: The Origins Of Rugby League -- Rugby League And The First World War -- League On The Dole?: The Game In The Depression Years -- Masters And Servants: The Professional Player 1919-39 -- Wembley And The Road From Wigan Pier -- Rugby League In The 'people's War' -- From Boom To Bust 1945-70 -- 'chess With Muscles': The Rules Of The Game -- The Kangaroo Connection: Anglo-australian Rugby League -- 'sporting Apartheid': Rugby Union's War Against Rugby League -- The Working-man's Game: Class, Gender And Race -- The Other Amateurs: Beyond The Heartlands -- From Slump To Super League 1975-1995 -- A Proletariat At Play. Tony Collins. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [205]-238) And Index.