Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
A majority of people would fall into one of two factions when it comes to following sports: that it is either a life-giving diversion or a confounding waste of time. I believe Mike Pesca has something here that will appeal to both frames of reference.
I've evolved from my youthful cult-like devotion (watching every game, emulating moves of star players, feeling confident I would one day go pro) into a space far too few people occupy, enjoying the daily toil of following a team while also acknowledging the massive time commitment required of watching even one game from start to finish (let alone many games over many months). But those with a mere passing interest in sports will find this book fascinating.
True, some general knowledge of or interest in competitive athletics will undoubtedly yield a greater return on your time. That said, there is barely any requisite background knowledge for this book to be thoroughly enjoyable.
The hypotheticals presented here run quite the gamut, both in subject matter and in tone - not all that surprising given that each essay has a different authror. You've got a decent sample of intersecting with significant events in history ("What If the United States Had Boycotted Hitler's Olympics?"), a recasting of particular sport's surge in popularity ("What If the Olympics Had Never Dropped Tug-of-War?"), and a reconfiguring of sports rules ("What If the National League Had the DH?"). There are pieces on transcendent-individuals ("What If Wayne Gretzky Hadn't Been an Oiler?", "What If Bill Walton Had Healthy Knees?"), wide-reaching legislature ("What If...Title IX Never Was?") and even sports journalism ("What If There Had Always Been Sports PR Flacks?"). Don't overthink the truly zany "What If Basketball Rims Were Smaller Than Basketballs?" And try not to roll your eyes at the perceived self-importance of fandom in "What If I Hadn't Written That Fan Letter to Dane Majerle in April 1993?"
Each chapter has something unique to bring to the table, and every single piece clears the bar of sports talk radio retrospective second-guessing a game that just happened. Sometimes there's a political angle. Sometimes it's just a lot of fun to parse through what might've been. "Upon Further Review" provides a sort of clever analytical nostalgia that encapsulates the escapism and intellectual rigor with which we approach sports. Still not sold? Check out the excellent companion podcast to get a taste of what goodness awaits! (https://slate.com/podcasts/upon-further-review)
I've evolved from my youthful cult-like devotion (watching every game, emulating moves of star players, feeling confident I would one day go pro) into a space far too few people occupy, enjoying the daily toil of following a team while also acknowledging the massive time commitment required of watching even one game from start to finish (let alone many games over many months). But those with a mere passing interest in sports will find this book fascinating.
True, some general knowledge of or interest in competitive athletics will undoubtedly yield a greater return on your time. That said, there is barely any requisite background knowledge for this book to be thoroughly enjoyable.
The hypotheticals presented here run quite the gamut, both in subject matter and in tone - not all that surprising given that each essay has a different authror. You've got a decent sample of intersecting with significant events in history ("What If the United States Had Boycotted Hitler's Olympics?"), a recasting of particular sport's surge in popularity ("What If the Olympics Had Never Dropped Tug-of-War?"), and a reconfiguring of sports rules ("What If the National League Had the DH?"). There are pieces on transcendent-individuals ("What If Wayne Gretzky Hadn't Been an Oiler?", "What If Bill Walton Had Healthy Knees?"), wide-reaching legislature ("What If...Title IX Never Was?") and even sports journalism ("What If There Had Always Been Sports PR Flacks?"). Don't overthink the truly zany "What If Basketball Rims Were Smaller Than Basketballs?" And try not to roll your eyes at the perceived self-importance of fandom in "What If I Hadn't Written That Fan Letter to Dane Majerle in April 1993?"
Each chapter has something unique to bring to the table, and every single piece clears the bar of sports talk radio retrospective second-guessing a game that just happened. Sometimes there's a political angle. Sometimes it's just a lot of fun to parse through what might've been. "Upon Further Review" provides a sort of clever analytical nostalgia that encapsulates the escapism and intellectual rigor with which we approach sports. Still not sold? Check out the excellent companion podcast to get a taste of what goodness awaits! (https://slate.com/podcasts/upon-further-review)
Received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
A mix of sports history and the butterfly effect. What would/could/should have happened if one thing had happened differently. Very easy to read this either cover to cover or dip into and out of as your interests fit. I didn't care for each story as some sports aren't my cup of tea, but this was an overall well written collection of hypotheticals. Great for anyone with an interest in sports.
A mix of sports history and the butterfly effect. What would/could/should have happened if one thing had happened differently. Very easy to read this either cover to cover or dip into and out of as your interests fit. I didn't care for each story as some sports aren't my cup of tea, but this was an overall well written collection of hypotheticals. Great for anyone with an interest in sports.
funny
informative
medium-paced
Overall, a good read for the sports nerd. Lots of great stories here in this edited volume. Some are simply fantastic, like Robert Siegel's what-if about the Brooklyn Dodgers and L. Jon Wertheim's imagined universe of sports promotion. Others raised some serious issues, like the role that Title IX has played in increasing access to sports. But, like in any edited volume, some just landed flat.
What I was missing here was the voice of Mike Pesca himself. Those who have followed his reporting on NPR and his fantastic work on Slate's 'The Gist' may be disappointed that Mike doesn't really have a chapter of his own. I'd love to hear, in his voice, one of these great what-if stories.
That said, I did enjoy this book, and recommend it to all the sports fans out there.
What I was missing here was the voice of Mike Pesca himself. Those who have followed his reporting on NPR and his fantastic work on Slate's 'The Gist' may be disappointed that Mike doesn't really have a chapter of his own. I'd love to hear, in his voice, one of these great what-if stories.
That said, I did enjoy this book, and recommend it to all the sports fans out there.
Sometimes fascinating explorations (What if Muhammad Ali hadn't gone to prison for draft dodging), sometimes hilarious ("What if basketball rims were smaller than basketballs?" made me cackle with laughter), it's a good collection of essays about how sports and society might have gone in very different directions. Some are a little dense for non-sportsheads. But overall, enthusiastic thumbs up.
I thought this was a very interesting concept of a book. Skipped a few scenarios that didn't interest me. I really thought it was a thought-provoking book. Would recommend for anyone that is a fan of sports.
Exactly what I expected. A couple of gems. A couple of duds. And mostly essays that are well written, engaging that sort of feel like a very good midseason episode of a the show.
Some interesting essays - but disappointed that some left me scratching my head trying to figure out what they were trying to say. Perhaps because some names were unknown to myself or my husband - hate having to Google someone that should be known based on the context - sigh. oh well. Maybe the greatest what-ifs should involve the most unknown folks - but they didn't in this collection.
Received as a Goodreads giveaway.
Received as a Goodreads giveaway.
With the near-infinite ability to search for any stat on our phones, there's no need for "bar debate" about what happened in a given game, with a certain player, at a precise moment. So let's have some better debates! What if Billie Jean King lost to Bobby Riggs? What if football were reinvented today? What if Major League Baseball had started testing for steroids in the early 1990s? What if track had basketball money?
I listen to Pesca every weekday, and especially like when he gets contrarian. And I liked the audio previews of this book (especially the Brooklyn Dodgers segment on NPR). But most of the book fell a little flat for me. Rather than being projections into alternate realities, they were mostly history lessons. Fatsis nailed his piece with emotion, Bois was fun (if too long) about basketball, and Hock and Jackson’s serious thoughts on changing how athletes are treated were definitely worth reading.
Maybe it’s like any collection of essays/short stories by various writers: if you’re finding something for everyone, not every thing will be to every reader’s liking.
(I should add that, yet again, Gladwell introduces something speculative, then immediately acts as if it’s establish fact. That’s his whole schtick!)
Maybe it’s like any collection of essays/short stories by various writers: if you’re finding something for everyone, not every thing will be to every reader’s liking.
(I should add that, yet again, Gladwell introduces something speculative, then immediately acts as if it’s establish fact. That’s his whole schtick!)