''The Sporting Magazine'' (1792–1870) was the first English sporting periodical to devote itself to every type of
sport
Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
.
[
] Its subtitle was "Monthly Calendar of the Transactions of the Turf, the Chase and Every Other Diversion Interesting to the Man of Pleasure, Enterprize, and Spirit".
History
''The Sporting Magazine'' was established in 1792. The magazine was published in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, but was able to offer extensive coverage of events nationally because the editor,
John Wheble, had established a wide-ranging network of informants, writers and contributors throughout the
shire
Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...
s.
Much of the information in the magazine stemmed from the readers themselves, who were urged to contribute material. The editor insisted that information should be accurate, rejecting contributions where he had doubts. Readers would also respond to one another's letters and sharp debates often occurred within the magazine's columns, acting as an additional check on the accuracy of material. The editor refused to settle disputes, but was very conscientious in supplying the best information available. Cumulatively, this provided an immense amount of detail. The journal transformed the subject by providing a treatment that was both deeper and more wide reaching in scope. Unlike its predecessors, it embraced everything that was regarded as sport and aimed at presenting an accurate, accessible record. By doing so, it mapped the subject out, presenting a thematic framework, which others were to develop. A range of issues that were to become associated with established sporting literature first became accessible to a wider audience via its columns.
By the early 1820s, the magazine was the fourth best-selling monthly periodical in London. However, it was still badly organized, information on varying topics simply being heaped together. Occasionally the magazine would copy articles from newspapers, but the coverage it offered was excellent, embodied by the detailed calendar of forthcoming events that appeared every month. Improvements in communications generated rapid information dissemination and this inevitably favoured the daily and weekly press rather than the monthly, especially those that began devoting serious coverage to sport.
Consequently, sales of the magazine shrank to just 1,500 by 1822, leading to the editor to introduce a new approach to the subject matter. From 1819
fox-hunting had been given increasing coverage, with the first comprehensive list of
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
packs appearing two years later. However, it was the editor's decision to employ the author
Nimrod
Nimrod is a Hebrew Bible, biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles, the Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush (Bible), Cush and therefore the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Sh ...
at lavish cost, from 1822 to 1827, to furnish beautifully written pieces on fox-hunting, that commenced the transformation of the magazine. Despite an increase in price, Nimrod's articles increased sales, which soon doubled, inevitably leading the magazine to pay still greater attention to fox-hunting. Nonetheless, contents remained quite varied, including, for instance,
dog fighting. In addition, coverage became more contemporary and the layout improved.
The magazine, followed by other papers, began to denounce cruelty to animals, such as,
pigeon
Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...
shooting,
cock-fighting and horse feats, and encouraged action against them.
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...
ling between gentleman protagonists with pistols or swords was so common at the time, that the magazine had a regular monthly column called "Affairs of Honour" devoted to duels.
External Sources
Link to the first bound volume of The Sporting Magazine, Oct 1792 - Mar 1793Link to the online archive of issues of The Sporting Magazine at Babel.Hathitrust.org
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sporting Magazine
1792 establishments in Great Britain
Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom
Defunct sports magazines published in the United Kingdom
Defunct magazines published in London
Magazines established in 1792
Magazines disestablished in 1870