Sporting Life, published in London, started as a biweekly publication that became a daily publication in 1883. During its first year of publication, it was called Penny Bell’s Life and Sporting News. The following year, the paper changed its name to Sporting Life.

While the paper was particularly known for its thorough coverage of horse racing, the paper also covered a wide-range of athletics: football, cricket, cycling, aquatics, boxing, billiards, golf, lacrosse, and hunting. The paper also eventually covered sports in America, France, and Australia.

George Maddick and Samuel O. Beeton started Sporting Life in 1859. The paper acquired one of its competitors, Bell’s Life in London and Sporting Chronicle, in 1886. Sporting Life ceased publication in 1998 when it merged with the Racing Post.