quietdomino's review against another edition
2.0
I am as much of a fan of Will Leitch's Midwesterner marooned in NYC as the next lady, but this book took that charm and splintered it into too many tiny pieces. Seriously, how short are people's attention spans? Some of the pieces in this book are 2 paragraphs long.
runjuliet's review against another edition
3.0
First off, this is not a reproduction of blog posts. The essays within are fairly short, taking on in four parts players, owners, media, and the fans. There's plenty amusing and nothing too earth shattering, though now I know that about 2/3rds of the sports broadcasters (and print guys too!) are lecherous assholes. Some are even being prosecuted for sexual harassment. Lord knows, I'll never look at Mike Tirico the same again. What is it about proximity to testosterone and possession of minute celebrity that turns dudes into nothing but penises with legs? Why is it so hard (no pun intended) to be a sane and courteous human who doesn't send pictures of their to dick to coworkers over their phone?(Really, Sean Salisbury? Why would you abuse mobile technology this way?)
Anyhoo... Leitch's refreshing thesis is that sports don't matter. Yes, he's made his living writing about sports, but he's entirely cognizant of its unimportance in the world and is only participating in about half-dozen fantasy leagues cuz it's fun. Fun! Who knew? Doesn't really explain his undying loyalty to the Arizona Cardinals, but we all got our quirks. It's this perspective that separates him from the bloviating sports columnists unleash their rage on sports bloggers who are doing what they do just as well or better for (usually) less money.
And he supports my astonishment at the sheer numbers of talking heads for sports news and broadcasts. Case in point: For the US Open golf tournament last week NBC had seven guys covering the event. SEVEN. FOR GOLF. (And will the network brass ever find a chair that allows Bob Costas's feet to touch the ground?)
Couple things I take issue with: I found four typos in the book that I hope are fixed before the paperback run. Those just take me out of the fun. Regarding his description of Colts fans: "Silently prefer Tom Brady anyway." To that I retort with a resounding NO FUCKING WAY. That Michigan douche can take a long walk off a short pier in Cape Cod. Of course, this may only apply to that small Colts/Buckeyes crossover demo.To his description of Indiana Pacer fans*, I would add the following: Never really paid attention the team after Reggie Miller left (tears were shed for his last game) and still maintains an intense hatred for the Knicks, if only for his sake, but also because of Isiah Thomas who ruined both teams.
But those are quibbles. It's an excellent look at sports and sports media with a plethora of properly used semicolons. Viva la Deadspin!
*"Still incredibly depressed and confused how life led to a point that Indianapolis is home." - Ha! So true, which is why I don't live there anymore. And yes, I think Columbus is better. Please don't hate me, Indy friends.
Anyhoo... Leitch's refreshing thesis is that sports don't matter. Yes, he's made his living writing about sports, but he's entirely cognizant of its unimportance in the world and is only participating in about half-dozen fantasy leagues cuz it's fun. Fun! Who knew? Doesn't really explain his undying loyalty to the Arizona Cardinals, but we all got our quirks. It's this perspective that separates him from the bloviating sports columnists unleash their rage on sports bloggers who are doing what they do just as well or better for (usually) less money.
And he supports my astonishment at the sheer numbers of talking heads for sports news and broadcasts. Case in point: For the US Open golf tournament last week NBC had seven guys covering the event. SEVEN. FOR GOLF. (And will the network brass ever find a chair that allows Bob Costas's feet to touch the ground?)
Couple things I take issue with: I found four typos in the book that I hope are fixed before the paperback run. Those just take me out of the fun. Regarding his description of Colts fans: "Silently prefer Tom Brady anyway." To that I retort with a resounding NO FUCKING WAY. That Michigan douche can take a long walk off a short pier in Cape Cod. Of course, this may only apply to that small Colts/Buckeyes crossover demo.To his description of Indiana Pacer fans*, I would add the following: Never really paid attention the team after Reggie Miller left (tears were shed for his last game) and still maintains an intense hatred for the Knicks, if only for his sake, but also because of Isiah Thomas who ruined both teams.
But those are quibbles. It's an excellent look at sports and sports media with a plethora of properly used semicolons. Viva la Deadspin!
*"Still incredibly depressed and confused how life led to a point that Indianapolis is home." - Ha! So true, which is why I don't live there anymore. And yes, I think Columbus is better. Please don't hate me, Indy friends.
blue_has_no_value's review against another edition
3.0
I remember almost nothing about this book. It was fine, I guess.
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