Beyond the Final Whistle explores a new philosophy of football, showing how sport could lead to social change instead of propping up a hyper-consumerist and collapsing society.
With a light touch, Vasilis Kostakis tackles the meaning of the beautiful game, exploring how it is produced and played, from the dribbles of a young Zapatista, to the many goals of Messi. Speaking to activists, philosophers, comedians and footballers themselves, he imagines what football would look like in a new, post-capitalist world.
How does football affect global inequality and the climate crisis? How does it teach our children empathy? What makes the game so captivating to billions of people, and how can this passion be used for liberation? With humour and insight, Beyond the Final Whistle is a love letter to football and revolution.
By:
Vasilis Kostakis
Imprint: Pluto Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9780745350738
ISBN 10: 0745350739
Pages: 144
Publication Date: 20 April 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction Part I: What is football? 1. Football is art 2. The football gods are dead 3. We always dance together 4. We always sing together 5. It came home 6. So what is football anyway? Part II: What world do we want? 7. We all kicked a ball once 8. The one who always kicked the can 9. The Hallowed Lost Penalty 10. Messi stretches to infinity 11. The tragedy of our times 12. When you're down 4-0 in the 89th minute, can you turn the tide? 13. The poor are poor because they make poor choices 14. The tunnel to the other side of earth 15. The Cruyff turn 16. So can the world change through football? Part III: How to change the world through football 17. The turn of the century 18. Drivers should drive and footballers should kick the ball 19. Democracy in football, democracy in society 20. Perhaps the greatest match of all time 21. Another world is here 22. The football of change 23. So how do we change the world through football? Acknowledgements
Vasilis Kostakis is a Professor of Technology Governance and Sustainability at TalTech's Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance in Estonia. He is also a Faculty Associate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. Vasilis is the founder of the P2P Lab and a founding member of both the Tzoumakers rural makerspace and the Commonen energy cooperative.
Reviews for Beyond the Final Whistle: Football for a Better World
'This book is a politically-committed love letter to all football fans out there who still care about the sport; and to anyone who cares about our life in common' -- Giorgos Kallis, ICREA professor, ICTA-UAB 'A delightful exploration of football, capitalism, and the difference between the incessant pursuit of more for its own sake and the possibility of making a meaningful life with others in common' -- Yochai Benkler, author of <i>The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom</i>
