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jvsiskey's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book
I really enjoyed reading this book. I read a lot of sports books and this is one of my favorites about the NFL in quite sometime. Mr. Leibovich was granted much access and made the most of it, portraying his subject as the are while not being overly reverential or judgmental.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I read a lot of sports books and this is one of my favorites about the NFL in quite sometime. Mr. Leibovich was granted much access and made the most of it, portraying his subject as the are while not being overly reverential or judgmental.
donnaehm's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
keliseb's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
i was interested in the subject matter if not compelled by the writing. a little self congratulatory for my taste
chrisb0905's review against another edition
2.0
Not sure what the purpose of this book was. Was it political commentary, sports reporting or fan blog? It didnt really achieve any of these fully.
peaches1951's review against another edition
4.0
None of us should be watching pro football. And yet we are fascinated by it. Leibovich peels back layers of NFL political intrigue, ego, and hubris. Terrific author, highly entertaining. This book details the year that Leibovich ingratiated himself into league meetings, the NFL combine, and interviews ("Little Talks") with many NFL players, owners, ESPN lifers, and other hangers-on. Loved it.
citizen_noir's review against another edition
4.0
Around the dinner table one night we got into a discussion about Thomas Jefferson and whether it was fair to judge him today as a hypocrite for penning the phrase “all men are created equal” while being the owner of slaves. (I believe it is fair to make this judgment)
I asked my sons if they could think of anything that we were doing today that people 200 years from now might similarly brand us as hypocrites for continuing to do, even though we knew it was wrong. We came up with two examples: driving gasoline powered cars despite evidence of climate change, and watching football despite evidence of the crippling brain damage the game inflicts upon its players.
CTE and the concussion issue is just one of several things happening in professional football today that make Mark Leibovich’s book so aptly named: BIG GAME: THE NFL IN DANGEROUS TIMES. Other controversies span race, culture, wealth disparity, politics, and more - a wide ranging narrative that covers everything from Deflategate, to Trump blasting kneeling football players, to clueless billionaire owners, to the much hated commissioner Roger Goodell.
This is the second book I’ve read by Leibovich. I also read - and loved - THIS TOWN, which detailed the grotesque behavior of Washington insiders in the media, political, and lobbying worlds. As he did in his first book, Leibovich comes across as kind of a dick. He’s funny to read, but there’s also something uncomfortable about the way everyone seems to be fair game for a takedown. He seems to enjoy it a little too much. Another strike against him is that he’s an unapologetic New England Patriots fan. So I’d say yes, Leibovich definitely is a dick. But I also admire his journalistic chops and his take no prisoners approach to describing everyone as he sees them, no matter if they’re Jerry Jones, Roger Goodell, or the G.O.A.T.(Greatest Of All Time) hero Tom Brady.
This is a book that will appeal to football fans and football haters alike. Leibovich is becoming one of those can’t-miss nonfiction writers, in the vein of Michael Lewis, who cover whatever interests them: sports, politics, Wall Street, etc. Wherever they seem to look, they find subjects that reflect back the good, bad, and ugly of America today. As Leibovich himself notes about football:
“There is something about this sport that brings the story back to its most fascinating self. I would always tell people that whenever they would ask how I could keep watching football, despite everything I saw and everything we were learning. I say this every time: the best thing football has going for itself is football.”
I asked my sons if they could think of anything that we were doing today that people 200 years from now might similarly brand us as hypocrites for continuing to do, even though we knew it was wrong. We came up with two examples: driving gasoline powered cars despite evidence of climate change, and watching football despite evidence of the crippling brain damage the game inflicts upon its players.
CTE and the concussion issue is just one of several things happening in professional football today that make Mark Leibovich’s book so aptly named: BIG GAME: THE NFL IN DANGEROUS TIMES. Other controversies span race, culture, wealth disparity, politics, and more - a wide ranging narrative that covers everything from Deflategate, to Trump blasting kneeling football players, to clueless billionaire owners, to the much hated commissioner Roger Goodell.
This is the second book I’ve read by Leibovich. I also read - and loved - THIS TOWN, which detailed the grotesque behavior of Washington insiders in the media, political, and lobbying worlds. As he did in his first book, Leibovich comes across as kind of a dick. He’s funny to read, but there’s also something uncomfortable about the way everyone seems to be fair game for a takedown. He seems to enjoy it a little too much. Another strike against him is that he’s an unapologetic New England Patriots fan. So I’d say yes, Leibovich definitely is a dick. But I also admire his journalistic chops and his take no prisoners approach to describing everyone as he sees them, no matter if they’re Jerry Jones, Roger Goodell, or the G.O.A.T.(Greatest Of All Time) hero Tom Brady.
This is a book that will appeal to football fans and football haters alike. Leibovich is becoming one of those can’t-miss nonfiction writers, in the vein of Michael Lewis, who cover whatever interests them: sports, politics, Wall Street, etc. Wherever they seem to look, they find subjects that reflect back the good, bad, and ugly of America today. As Leibovich himself notes about football:
“There is something about this sport that brings the story back to its most fascinating self. I would always tell people that whenever they would ask how I could keep watching football, despite everything I saw and everything we were learning. I say this every time: the best thing football has going for itself is football.”
slider9499's review against another edition
3.0
I had high hopes for this book. Alas, the hopes were too high. I listened to the audio book. The reader ruined this book from the second he opened his mouth. Just a scraping, annoying voice. It distracts from the book.
The author spends the vast majority of the book (IMHO, about 60%) talking about Trump, politics and the New England Patriots.. Not much insight ot groundbreaking. Owners are rich Republican bullies who do whatever needs to be done to make money. Sad.
The author spends the vast majority of the book (IMHO, about 60%) talking about Trump, politics and the New England Patriots.. Not much insight ot groundbreaking. Owners are rich Republican bullies who do whatever needs to be done to make money. Sad.
rclz's review against another edition
5.0
This book was great. I laughed had a good time listening to it. The narrator did a great job.I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a Tom Brady or a Patriots fan and I still enjoyed it.
I've watched professional football as long as I can remember and enjoyed it, but a few years ago I started to feel.....disillusioned I guess. The league handles problems poorly, Ray Rice is a prime example. I'm not much of a football fan anymore but I still enjoyed this book a great deal.
I've watched professional football as long as I can remember and enjoyed it, but a few years ago I started to feel.....disillusioned I guess. The league handles problems poorly, Ray Rice is a prime example. I'm not much of a football fan anymore but I still enjoyed this book a great deal.