The champion boxer Les Darcy: a victim of class conflict and sectarian bitterness in Australia during the First World War

The humanities in higher education are under attack. There may not be a deliberate and concerted effort to undermine their provision and development within universities but the direction of current policy is certainly undermining their stability and well being as an intellectual pursuit. Using the example of sports history, this paper considers whether public expenditure on academic history is justified and it explores some of the ways the subdiscipline might develop in response to the shifting sands of both public policy and public interest.