| Introduction |
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ix | |
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1 How You Can Play International Football |
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3 | (4) |
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How your nationality can improve your chances of taking on Cristiano Ronaldo |
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7 | (4) |
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What if you wanted to run marathons like Haile Gebrselassie? |
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3 Stronger, Faster, Older |
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11 | (4) |
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Why the path to sporting stardom is mapped out from the day you were born |
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15 | (6) |
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What's in a name? Quite a lot if it's your team that's selling it... |
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5 Oldest Swingers In Town |
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21 | (6) |
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Or why sporting life doesn't really begin at 40 |
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6 Regional Pride At The Olympic Games |
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27 | (4) |
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Just who were the real stars of London 2012? |
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7 Why Football's Divers Leave Fans Out Of Pocket |
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31 | (6) |
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The real impact of injuries and simulation |
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8 Don't Give Up The Day Job |
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37 | (4) |
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Why Olympic success doesn't always save you from the nine-to-five |
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41 | (6) |
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Can wearing a specific colour increase your chances of sporting success? |
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47 | (8) |
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Just how fast can humans hope to run the 100m? |
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55 | (4) |
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Is Steve Williams really New Zealand's highest-earning Sports Star? |
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12 Can Sporting Ineptitude Make Money? |
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59 | (6) |
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Turning epic sporting failure into financial gain |
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65 | (4) |
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The costs and rewards of owning a greyhound, racehorse or racing pigeon |
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14 What If Fifa Was A Country? |
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69 | (8) |
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It's a huge organisation but what would happen if FIFA became its own state? |
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15 What If Your Family Car Was A Formula 1 Racer? |
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77 | (6) |
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Guaranteed to get you anywhere in a hurry, but astronomical running costs and very little space to store your shopping |
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16 You're Better Off In The Commentary Box |
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83 | (6) |
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Why Alan Hansen is more valuable than the US President |
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17 Fastballs And Lightning Strikes |
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89 | (6) |
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What's the fastest ball sport? |
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95 | (8) |
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Is football's global marketing machine worth the money? |
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103 | (6) |
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Does intelligence count for anything in sport? |
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20 You Are What You Tweet |
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109 | (6) |
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Do sporting superstars really care about other people? |
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21 Is Participation Sport Destined To Die? |
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115 | (6) |
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Will future generations just watch rather than play sport? |
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22 The Shirt On Your Back |
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121 | (10) |
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A multi-billion industry -- why football shirts are a serious bit of kit... |
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131 | (6) |
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When sport gets its own back and why we all end up on the treatment table |
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24 Sporting Cliches Deconstructed |
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137 | (6) |
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Uttered countless times by coaches, players and commentators, is there any truth to these overused expressions? |
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25 The True Value of Winning a Trophy |
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143 | (4) |
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Nothing beats holding up that famous trophy, but all that glitters is not gold |
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26 Music to an Athlete's Ear |
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147 | (6) |
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Why an athlete's playlist can be the difference between winning and losing |
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27 What If We All Ate Like Sumo Wrestlers? |
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153 | (6) |
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And the impact it would have on society and the global economy |
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28 Decisions, Decisions... |
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159 | (6) |
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Just who would be a referee or an umpire? |
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165 | (4) |
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When sports memorabilia collecting turns into colossal cash... |
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169 | (8) |
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We watch sport to see history made but what is the rarest feat in sport? |
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177 | (4) |
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Why there are relatively few slim darts players... |
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181 | (6) |
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The long and the short of away fixtures |
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187 | (8) |
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Do professional footballers really earn that much money? |
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195 | (6) |
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The economics of spectator snacks and the humble matchday pie |
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35 The Sport's the Movie Star |
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201 | (9) |
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And will snooker be the sports film subject of the future? |
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| Index |
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210 | |
