In 1860 the first ever golf 'major' was held in Prestwick - a man from East Lothian won. In 1871 the first ever rugby international in the world took place in Edinburgh - Scotland won. In 1872 the first ever association football international in the world was hosted in Glasgow - it was a draw. All three of these momentous events in the history of sport - even if they did not seem that way at the time - were held in Scotland, and for the next century and more Scottish sporting men and women were pioneers in the growth of sport around the world. "Sporting Scots" tells the incredible stories of the Scots who brought sport to the globe and transformed the histories of golf, football, rugby, athletics, ice hockey, cricket, swimming, baseball, cycling, motor racing and many other sports in the process. It is also the modern history of the Scots abroad as they left the Auld Country far behind them for fame or fortune or for simple economic necessity and left a lasting sporting legacy around the globe.

This book examines the role of the Scots in the development of Canadian sport. The evidence from the wide range of primary and secondary sources cited by the author proves that the Scottish contribution was significant.

The Scots accounted for around a quarter of all UK-born immigrants to New Zealand between 1861 and 1945, but have only been accorded scant attention in New Zealand histories, specialist immigration histories and Scottish Diaspora Studies. This is peculiar because the flow of Scots to New Zealand, although relatively unimportant to Scotland, constituted a sizable element to the country's much smaller population. Seen as adaptable, integrating relatively more quickly than other ethnic migrant groups in New Zealand, the Scots' presence was obscured by a fixation on the romanticised shortbread tin facade of Scottish identity overseas.Uncovering Scottish ethnicity from the verges of nostalgia, this study documents the notable imprint Scots left on New Zealand. It examines Scottish immigrant community life, culture and identity between 1850 and 1930.

Scotland may not have won a World Cup (yet!), but many of the country’s sportsmen and women are revered as global legends, including Olympic and US Open champion Andy Murray and winner of six Olympic gold medals, Sir Chris Hoy. In football, the likes of Denis Law, ‘Slim’ Jim Baxter and Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Johnstone would not have looked out of place in the canary yellow of Brazil, while managers Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein have become part of football folklore, as has Sir Alex Ferguson in more recent times. Amazingly, Scots have reached the top in just about every major sport: Jim Clark and Sir Jackie Stewart in Formula One; Andy Murray in tennis; Ken Buchanan and Benny Lynch in the boxing ring; Chris Hoy in cycling; sprinters Allan Wells and Eric Liddell on the Olympic track; and, as befits a nation renowned as ‘the home of golf’, Sandy Lyle was recognised as the greatest player on the planet upon winning the Masters in 1988. Scottish sport is the richest of tapestries and in Scottish Sporting Legends the cream of the crop are entertainingly profiled in a revealing collection of pen portraits of stars past and present.