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1.2.Leisure
23
whichconfrontedthem-political,educational,religious,cultural-
bearastrongresemblanceto,andareofencontinuouswith,theprob-
lemswhichconfrontusatthepresenttime”13.Teirpassionswere-in
manyaspects-justlikeours;italsoconcernsleisure-timeactivitiesand
sports.Itwasatthattimewhenattachmenttosomesportswasbeing
developed,forsomeotherslovewasbeingborn.
1.2.Leisure
HistorianofsportKeithA.Sandiford,notesthatlackofopportunities
forleisurewascomingtobeseenasoneofthelegitimategrievancesof
theearlyworkingclass,anditwashopedthatsportcouldprovidean
arenainwhichfriendlierrelationshipsbetweenmembersofdiferent
classesmightdevelop.uCricketinparticularcametobeendowedwith
akindofmagic-thepowertohealEngland’swounds”14.Wewillcome
backtothissportsoon.
Andindeed,asforthelowerclasses,inthesecondhalfofthenine-
teenthcenturytheygraduallybegantohaveasmallshareinthepros-
perityofthehigheronesandtoemulatetheirhabits.Inthe1870sand
80s,thesportingboomreachedwidersectionsofthepopulation,also
workersandthe(mostlylower)middle-class,whichwasincreasingboth
innumbersandpower.Britainexperiencedanalmostrevolutionary
transformationinthescaleandnatureofitssportingculture.Opportu-
nitiesforleisureincreasedconsiderablybecauserealwagescontinuedto
growandhoursofworkcontinuedtodecline.Consequently,morepeo-
plevisitedmusichalls,theatersorcircuses.Besides,travelingbecame
moreaccessibleaswell15.
Duetotherapiddevelopmentoftherailwaysystems,seasidetowns
becamepopulardestinationsforVictorianholidaymakers.Consequent-
ly,numerouscoastresortsemerged(inwhichspectatorinterestinsport
wasgrowingaswell).Largenumberstravelingtoquietfishingvillages
13
G.D.Klingopulos,NotesontheVictorianScene,p.13.
14
K.A.P
.Sandiford,CricketandtheVictorians,ScolarPress,Aldershot1994,pp.42-43.
15
Formoresee:N.McCord,B.Purdue,BritishHistory1815-1914,OxfordUniversityPress,
Oxford2007,pp.264-265.
