God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back)
by Will Leitch
List Price:
Our Price: $8.45
You Save: $16.50 (66%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.38 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Will LeitchEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-02-01
ISBN: 0061351784
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Harper
Book Reviews of God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back)
Book Review: Hits the Spot, Leaves Wanting More
Summary: 3 Stars
Being a loyal Deadspin reader for a couple years now, I was excited to get a chance to sit down with Will Leitch's book God Save the Fan and delve through his insights into what is going wrong with sports today. Leitch is one of the new breed of writers who has started striking back against companies like ESPN that have turned parts of sports into a mindless cesspool of nonsense.
The book is broken down into sections that target the athletes, fans, owners and media in essay like chapters. The essays that were the best were the ones that really took aim at the media, and the ridiculous spectacle that they've turned sports into. The most biting commentary is saved for ESPN as he tears apart their operation giving a voice to the diehard sports fan who is so sick of the antics from the World Wide Leader. He even has sharp criticism for some of the worst owners in sports and what they've done to their fans over the years.
But for the power of those essays, there is a lot of needless fluff thrown in. Essays about finding a local bar to watch Cardinal games in New York at, as well as a long piece on his supporting of Rick Ankiel. While these might be interesting blog posts, they contrast with his other essays that take a more biting approach to the topic. These parts aren't necessarily bad, it's as a reader you want more written about the negative aspects of sports that Leitch targets so well. I was more fascinated in learning the tactics of ESPN and some dreadful owners than a narrative on his fandom.
Overall though, it's a good read for any sports fan tired of what sports has turned into. It's worth noting though that there are a lot of posts from Deadspin reproduced in the book, which means you aren't getting a ton of new content. As an avid Deadspin reader, it felt more like a trip down memory lane instead of something new. For non-Deadspin fans, it's a book you'll thoroughly enjoy and laugh out loud to.
I look forward to Leitch's future books and hope they are less about his history on the web and more on his thoughts of what the sports world has become (where he excels at explaining).
Summary of God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back)
ESPN thinks its viewers are stupid. The Olympics claw at your inner sap. Barbaro, after all, was just a horse. So says Will Leitch, founding editor of Deadspin.com, whose God Save the Fan is your new manifesto.
Arch and unrepentant, Leitch is the mouthpiece for all the frustrated fans who just want their games back from big money, bloated egos, and blathering sportscasters. Always a fan first and a journalist second, Leitch considers the perfection of fantasy leagues, the meaninglessness of the steroids debate, and the aching permanence of loyalty to just one team. He'll tell you why, long before that dogfighting mess, Michael Vick's undercover STD clinic name was Ron Mexico; why athletes persist in publicly praising God; and what the beer companies really think about you. Share Leitch's dread as he spends twenty-four hours watching ESPN. Sit and have a beer with John Rocker and his surprising girlfriend. Be inspired by Rick Ankiel's phoenixlike rise, and fall.
With a voice strengthened by the success of Deadspin and its chorus of commenters, Leitch has written all-new material for God Save the Fan. If you or a fan you love is suffering from the sense of listless dissatisfaction brought on by the leagues and networks, this is your restorative tonic. Packed with lists, glossaries, confessions, and rages, Leitch's manifesto sings a rallying cry for fan empowerment. The games, after all, belong to us.
Journalism Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Sports Books I've Read
Men with Balls: The Professional Athlete's Handbookby Drew Magary
Little, Brown and Company; Published: 2008-10-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.55
Price in other shops:
The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordanby Pat Jordan
Persea; Published: 2008-04-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.05
Price in other shops:
God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back)by Will Leitch
Harper; Published: 2008-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.70
Price in other shops:
ESPN: The Uncensored Historyby Michael Freeman
Taylor Trade Publishing; Published: 2002-01-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Gameby Michael Lewis
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2004-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.39
Price in other shops:
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Gameby Michael Lewis
W. W. Norton; Published: 2007-09-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.29
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFLby Stefan Fatsis
Penguin Press HC, The; Published: 2008-07-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.50
Price in other shops:
Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideasby Chuck Klosterman
Scribner; Published: 2007-07-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.57
Price in other shops:
The Bill James Gold Mine 2008by Bill James
ACTA Sports; Published: 2008-02-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.84
Price in other shops:
Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streetsby Sudhir Venkatesh
Penguin Press HC, The; Published: 2008-01-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.86
Price in other shops:
Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends: The Truth, the Lies, and Everything Elseby Rob Neyer
Fireside; Published: 2008-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.03
Price in other shops:
Catchby Will Leitch
Razorbill; Published: 2005-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.24
Price in other shops:
Pro Football Prospectus 2008: The Essential Guide to the 2008 Pro Football Season (Pro Football Prospectus)Plume; Published: 2008-07-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.80
Price in other shops:
Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruitingby Bruce Feldman
ESPN; Published: 2007-09-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.06
Price in other shops:
Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabondby Paul Shirley
Villard; Published: 2008-03-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.31
Price in other shops:
Baseball Prospectus 2008: The Essential Guide to the 2008 Baseball Season (Baseball Prospectus)Plume; Published: 2008-02-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.95
Price in other shops: