why do we play ball anyway? his father john fox sought the answer through a global journey discovering the origins of the games we play and how the ball has become a major part of global culture. joining me is john fox. great to be here. it s great to talk to you about the book which is the ball. well named. simple. this took you around the world to 1600, the first tennis course. it s a chateau south of paris and a fantastic place. and it was a palace of the french kings. in there is one of the oldest tennis courts in the world where eight french kings played. so i got to play on a court where eight french kings played before. pretty cool. very cool. what is it about the ball itself, this sphere, that is just so perfect for all of our