New RAH! Podcast episode: Sport and Epidemics Explores the Similarities Between Smallpox in 1898 and Coronavirus Today

Image credit, left to right: Action from Boro's secret Brotton FA Cup Amateur semi-final (Northern Review, courtesy of Middlesbrough Libraries) The Story of the Small Pox Epidemic in Middlesbrough (Middlesbrough Libraries)

This is the second episode in our new RAH! Podcast mini series – A Short Introduction to…

In this episode, Dr Tosh Warwick will be giving us a short introduction to Sporting Histories during Epidemics, focusing on a particular smallpox outbreak in Middlesbrough in 1898 which led to sporting events being cancelled, much as we are seeing today in the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic.

In particular we will explore:

• Similarities between then and now in terms of lockdown measures
• And what we can learn from the past

Read along while you listen! Find the full episode transcript below.

Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the RAH! Podcast belong solely to the speaker, and are not necessarily reflective of the views of Manchester Metropolitan University, or the speaker's employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.

RAH! Podcast Episode Transcript: A Short Introduction to Sport and Epidemics

RAH! opening jingle

Lucy Simpson: Hello, and welcome to the RAH! podcast at Manchester Metropolitan University. And to our second episode in our new miniseries: a short introduction to. Part of the reason that we have launched this new mini series at the moment is to provide you with more RAH! content during the national lockdown that we're experiencing as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. So in this episode, we will be finding out about a historical case of smallpox at the end of the 1800s which led to football matches being cancelled, much as we are seeing today. In this episode, we will explore the similarities between then and now in terms of lockdown measures and healthcare knowledge, and what we can learn from the past. So let's get into it.

RAH! mini jingle

Lucy: Okay, I'm here today with Tosh Warwick, and we're here to talk about how disease epidemics have affected sporting events in history. So Tosh, would you like to introduce yourself?

Tosh: Yeah, I'm Dr. Tosh Warwick, research associate in History Research Centre impact.

Lucy: So Tosh could you tell - start by telling us a little bit about what you've found out about disease epidemics and sporting events?

Tosh: Well, in recent weeks, in light of the spread of COVID-19, there's been a lot of interest in what precedent there is for the sporting world in situations like this. You know, everyone would assume that the more similar occurrence was bird flu and Spanish flu, as it was dubbed, just after the First World War, but there was an awful lot of football going on then. So I've been delving into the archives a little further back and looking at my - my research in Middlesbrough, and the northeast of England and looking at previous examples of how epidemics have had an impact on the football world as it has today.

Lucy: So what kind of specific case have you been looking at?

Tosh: So the case that's come up has been very relevant in terms of having lots of overlap with the Coronavirus is a smallpox outbreak in Middlesbrough in 1897. And, and it escalates in 1898. And it has an absolutely profound effect on football in the area, it has a major - major implications for the leisure activities of the working class in the town. And it even brings about lots of debate about isolation, about people following rules. It leads to matches being cancelled, tournament postponed, disputes between football authorities and football clubs, as we're having today. And it even gets down to the medical officer of health the people in charge of Middlesbrough’s health and - and the health of surrounding towns getting involved in whether a football match should go ahead or not.

Lucy: So this was in 18 –

Tosh: 1898.

Lucy: So it was in 1898 then that we're seeing a lot of similarities with what we're having now, I guess, and this was kind of Victorian England, right? So what was kind of society like then in terms of health care and sanitation and that sort of thing?

Tosh: Um, well, remarkably, there are lots of overlaps with today, you know, in terms of, you know, health care has responded to crisis. You know, at this time, there's very poor sanitation, very poor housing quality in certain parts of Middlesbrough. You know, the medical knowledge was by no means as advanced as today, but there was definitely active provision, you know, public health. Medical officer of health who were trying to intervene and provide guidance so that those who might be exposed or subject to virus to disease, that they have the tools, you know, to best protect themselves as far as possible, you know, very much like today. You know, practising in isolation of those who are infected, setting up temporary hospitals such as we have with the Nightingale hospitals in - in London and closer to home here in Harrogate. So, there's lots of similarities to what we had in 1898 to – to now and lots of the same mistakes and lots of the same problems are coming about as well.

Lucy: What would you say some of those kind of - kind of problems are?

Tosh: Some of the major issues that have occurred have been around I suppose, embracing government guidelines to - to ensure isolation and, you know, to prevent close proximity, you know, stop gathering of crowds, you know, not contravening of stay-at-home guidance. You know, so lots of issues there. Middlesbrough in the past few weeks has been identified as being the area most likely to contravene stay-at-home guidelines. And it would seem that there's kind of a history of this in the town. In 1898, you had people climbing the walls of the local sanatorium, shaking hands of patients, spreading smallpox, you had the - the chairman of the Cleveland Football Association talking about it being an incredibly bad idea to have all these people in such close proximity to meet and play football. He talks about it being the height of folly to bring a crowd together for there would be a great danger of the infection spreading. You have the local council refusing to have football matches take place with infected Middlesbrough coming to their town. But you also have the football authorities and the football clubs especially rejecting this wanting to go ahead and play these games. And I think there's clearly some lessons, you know, to learn from some of the mistakes of the past but also some of the successes of the past as well.

Lucy: I mean, how quickly did we see those kind of sporting events being cancelled? And how quickly do we see there's kind of restrictions being put in place?

Tosh: Well, one of the problems we have is that there's no consistent approach across the different football organisations in 1898. And even today, the joint meetings of different football organisations in England at the moment, even though they’re trying to work together there's - there's still often no consistent approach. You had the Premier League and the Football League shut down before the National League. You then had lower league seasons being voided, being cancelled effectively. Then you have the Premier League and - and the Football League still up in the air as to what's going to go on. You’ve still got the cup competitions to complete. There's been no consistent approach and it's causing lots of divide, lots of debate. You've had people like Wayne Rooney come out and saying that footballs have been used as guinea pigs. You know, some clubs are facing massive financial burden. So this inconsistency and delay is a much similar to what happened in in 1898. The local level, they weren't keen on the football progressing, the clubs went against it. Then you have individual clubs rebel against that and say, we're not playing matches. You have players rebelling, saying that they don't want to play matches during the smallpox epidemics. Then you have the Football Association have a different outlook entirely, where they're suggesting that Middlesbrough pass on the chance of glory and actually pull out to the FA amateur cup in 1998, which they actually went on to win. So there's lots of different, confused, conflicting messages. You know, it leads to divide, it leads to uncertainty, it creates a sense of chaos. And I think really it's happening again today. And obviously in 1898 as well, you have the example of political intervention. The medical officer health, the local council saying football shouldn't go ahead, football should be doing x, y and z. And we've also had this, you know, echoed by Matt Hancock when he scapegoated footballers saying that, you know, they should do more to support the responses to COVID-19. And it seems, it’s predominantly working class lads that have done well, they seem to be the ones that seem to have an obligation to give this money back. And for me there’s something inherently wrong with that.

Lucy: I'm sure lots of people at the moment are really, really missing football and missing it being on television, missing being able to go to the matches and to support their kind of local teams. Was football such a kind of important part of the kind of community psyche back in 1898?

Tosh: Football was a major part of the community identity, of leisure pursuits. Football was starting to grow. Middlesbrough, you know, a couple years after moved into the professional game. They're building a new stadium at Ayresome Park just a few years after the smallpox epidemic. They were setting themselves up as a as a real professional outfit, looking to achieve glory in the game getting huge crowds, getting record crowds. So it was a massive part of the town’s free time, of past times. And you know, you see this when the matches played behind closed doors, in the East Cleveland village of Brotton to resolve the outcome of the FA amateur Cup Semi Final. You know, in the cartoon sketch the caricatures of the football match in the Northern - Northern review I think it was, they had these sketches of these young lad climbing in trees to watch the football, because they were so desperate to see - to see the match. And so there's a wonderful romance to that, and I think it kind of echoes, you know, the passion for football today all be in different forms, you know. Yeah, so it's a massive part of people's lives, you know, as a massive escape from the iron, the steelworks, theshipbuilding industries, you know, that was really hard toil. And going to the football, you know, as a lot of people have found, you know, in 2020, it's not just about going to see the match. It's about going to see your mates. It's about the ritual. It's about going to the pub, you know, having a bet. Well as you know I'm - I'm a very, very big Middlesbrough supporter. I'm a big football fan, and I've been incredibly frustrated not being able to go to football.

Lucy: So did we see similar things happening in other sports or other locations, or was this just in Middlesbrough?

Tosh: It had other responses in sport as well. It happened beyond football – it happened in - in West Yorkshire as well. It happened in rugby league territory where you know, local teams had to cancel matches because of smallpox outbreak. So it's something that goes beyond football, but football is obviously the, you know, the major sport that people hone in on. You know, back in the early 20th century, you’d go to places like Batley, Dewsbury, to Ilkley, and you'd see that there's similar responses to smallpox outbreaks all across this period.

Lucy: So what can we learn from the history then other kind of any messages of hope there?

Tosh: Yeah, I think some of the lessons crucially are have a clear, consistent collaborative approach. Do not dictate from above, in terms of the football authorities, what's going to happen, you need to work as a collective to get any kind of constructive, achievable resolution, I think, and that's how it panned out in 1898. So I think it's about being consistent. And the key thing is not to introduce football, you know, as a potential super spreader, reintroduce it to society to hastily. I think that's a huge lesson to learn, you know. Football in 1898 was recognised as a potential super spreader. As time goes on and people see football being reintroduced in Germany as being rumoured, people will start making calls, getting agitated want to go out and go to the football here. We've got to be very, very aware that there's local circumstance and national circumstance at play here and we really need to prioritise health here ahead of football.

Lucy: And I guess if we do take those measures then you know we'll see these things being brought in sooner. And if everybody does kind of follow the advice then we can get back to normal sooner I guess and we will have football back again.

Tosh: Well that's it's about getting football in balance and you know, nobody wants to see the football season you know on pause as it is. You know, it’s about, you know, the better outcome for the public good. Football will be there after COVID-19. It was after smallpox. It was after bird flu. You know, and hopefully we can we can learn from that but I think there's certainly going to be more challenges coming up. You know, players being out of contract, players not wanting to play matches where it might put them out of a job if they get injuries. And also today as well there’s cahnnelenges in terms of the - the multi billion pound industry that's football, the prize money, the sponsorship. You know, are they going to be happy for competitions to be cancelled? I'd suggest not. So I think there's a there's much more of economic consideration here. But I think again, we have to prioritise health.

Lucy: Okay, well thank you Tosh for joining us on the RAH! podcast.

Tosh: Thank you Lucy.

RAH! mini jingle

Lucy: Thank you for listening. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter for future podcast updates. You can find us at @mmu_rah. For more information on all the research and events we discussed in this episode, please go to the RAH! website for full links. Tune back in soon for more episodes.

RAH! Closing jingle

Lucy: This episode of the RAH! podcast was produced, edited and presented by Lucy Simpson and mixed by Julian Holloway.