Historical firsts and superlatives : public engagement versus historical accuracy in association football

Statistics, data, fun facts, trivia, miscellanies, firsts, lasts, onlys, nevers and other superlatives are almost indispensable ingredients in football media and are consumed voraciously by the general public. In this paper, we examine how firsts and other superlatives enable the bounded rationality of humans to make greater sense of the large and growing volume of football data. This perspective is contrasted with that of ‘professional’ historians who describe the complexity of history yet at the same time, within the context of historiography, frequently make use of narratives and beginnings. Parallel instances to these football dilemmas are identified in scientific arenas, museums, social identity and historical significance. It is argued that this division between popular ‘amateur’ historians and ‘professional’ historians is inevitable but that there is potential to engage people more deeply within football history thereby increasing their understanding and enjoyment of the game.