Victorian advocates and critics of the widely held belief that team games provided more than physical exercise - a phenomenon variously describes as athleticism, the cult of athletics or the games ethic - were, despite their different viewpoints, united in the conviction that it was more than a temporary craze. They were right, and these advocates and critics continued to argue for and against athleticism throughout its heyday, the period from 1850 until 1940. None, however, sought to explore and examine the reasons for its popularity and its longevity ... until the 1970s and J A Mangan.