A SUNDAY TIMES Sports activities BOOK OF THE YEAR

LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR

‘Personal, political, powerful and about a lot more than race and sport.’

Bernadine Evaristo

‘This searching exploration uses sports to examine questions of race and identity … Bardowell does an excellent and passionate job of refracting the issues within sport – the about No Gain Race: A TALE of Belonging, Britishness and Sport dearth of dark football managers, the lack of activism from dark athletes who’ve made it into the spotlight – into wider society.’ Financial Situations

‘A painful reflection of racism in United kingdom sport … Bardowell ably demonstrates the power of the media to determine the narratives around these sports lives. He flags in the false binaries often advertised between good (patriotic) and bad (self-centred) dark sportswomen and guys … it’s a very important take action of remembrance of sporting stars who put their careers on the line in pursuit of a moral ideal.’ Observer

Few people watch sport for its politics. Yet what happens around the field of play often reflects the problems in our culture.

Such was the case in the eighties, when dark footballers emerged from your dressing space to find bananas getting hurled in the stands, and racially motivated attacks and law enforcement harassment were the norm.

Today, things have improved. Crowds are much less hostile and stars like Anthony Joshua and Sir Mohamed Farah are among our many revered sporting heroes. But also for athletes of colour, success around the field seldom changes to power away from it. Prejudice and abuse may be less overt, but they remain – often before our eyes, frequently without us paying attention. The same could be said of British society: things are better, however we continue being divided by and in denial of racism.

No Win Competition is an individual exploration of the complexities and biases implicit in being dark in Britain, told through the prism of sport. Within the period between the Brixton ‘riots’ and Brexit, this is a publication for individuals who want honest understanding into UK race relations, and for anyone who senses that sport is normally more than just a game.