Against Football : One Fan's Reluctant Manifesto

"Powerful...an important read." -- Publishers Weekly New York Times bestselling author Steve Almond takes on America's biggest sacred cow: football In Against Football , Steve Almond details why, after forty years as a fan, he can no longer watch the game he still loves. Using a synthesis of memoir, reportage, and cultural critique, Almond asks a series of provocative questions: • Does our addiction to football foster a tolerance for violence, greed, racism, and homophobia? • What does it mean that our society has transmuted the intuitive physical joys of childhood--run, leap, throw, tackle--into a billion-dollar industry? • How did a sport that causes brain damage become such an important emblem for our institutions of higher learning? There has never been a book that exposes the dark underside of America's favorite game with such searing candor. From the Hardcover edition. ϡ쯦랠 A New York Times Best Seller "Powerful ... an important read."--Publishers Weekly New York Times bestselling author Steve Almond takes on America's biggest sacred cow: football In Against Football, Steve Almond details why, after forty years as a fan, he can no longer watch the game he still loves. Using a synthesis of memoir, reportage, and cultural critique, Almond asks a series of provocative questions: Does our addiction to football foster a tolerance for violence, greed, racism, and homophobia? What does it mean that our society has transmuted the intuitive physical joys of childhood--run, leap, throw, tackle--into a billion-dollar industry? How did a sport that causes brain damage become such an important emblem for our institutions of higher learning? There has never been a book that exposes the dark underside of America's favorite game with such searing candor. From the Hardcover edition A New York Times Best Seller"Powerful...an important read." --Publishers WeeklyNew York Times bestselling author Steve Almond takes on America's biggest sacred cow: footballIn Against Football, Steve Almond details why, after forty years as a fan, he can no longer watch the game he still loves. Using a synthesis of memoir, reportage, and cultural critique, Almond asks a series of provocative questions:• Does our addiction to football foster a tolerance for violence, greed, racism, and homophobia?• What does it mean that our society has transmuted the intuitive physical joys of childhood--run, leap, throw, tackle--into a billion-dollar industry?• How did a sport that causes brain damage become such an important emblem for our institutions of higher learning?There has never been a book that exposes the dark underside of America's favorite game.. Argues That Not Only Is American Football Hazardous To Players' Health, And Especially To Their Brains, But Also That American Support Of The Sport Encourages Violence, Prejudices, And Other Ethically Troubling Behavior. I Wasn't Out Cold, But I Was Out -- A Brief And Wildly Subjective History Of Football -- A Deep And True Joy Penetrated My Being -- You Knock My Brains Out This Sunday And I Knock Your Brains Out The Next Time We Meet -- This Eager Violence Of The Heart -- Get Money! On Three -- The Love Song Of Richie Incognito -- The Blind Spot -- Their Sons Grow Suicidally Beautiful -- All Games Aspire To A Condition Of War -- Bill Simmons Draws The Line -- Stop Being A Fan, Start Being A Player. Steve Almond.