Introduction Football and Popular Culture

Football is ubiquitous and a permanent fixture of modern life. More than a sport, football frequently manifests in broader popular culture. Indeed, if one accepts Raymond Williams’s definition of popular culture as ‘a particular way of life’, one could say that football is popular culture. This introduction sketches out football’s relationship with popular culture, offering a theoretical backdrop for the chapters that follow. Football and Popular Culture plots a new path in Football Studies, while paying homage to important work that has led us to this point. By drawing together voices from across the academy and beyond, Football and Popular Culture tackles critical debates from a range of disciplinary perspectives across the world and adds missing perspectives to the growing field of Football Studies.