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10 reviews for:
Scoreboard, Baby: A Story of College Football, Crime, and Complicity
Ken Armstrong, Nick Perry
3.89 AVERAGE
10 reviews for:
Scoreboard, Baby: A Story of College Football, Crime, and Complicity
Ken Armstrong, Nick Perry
3.89 AVERAGE
I was not surprised at the professional college athlete but I was amazed at how awful it is in our society that worships football (I'm a fan) and makes great players into gods immune to being responsible for vitually anything especially if the player is needed for an important game. Now when I hear things about players "thhey are investigating" I tend to believe they are guilty of some if not most of all the charges. If you are a woman, it's probably better not to go out with a star player unless you really know them. This book tells of Washington players who get away with anything. If police get solid evidence it's almost impossible to prosecute the case and really win. I mean what do you think would happen to most of us if we raped several women, shot a man in the stomach during a robbery, beat on people with weapons including kicking an innocent bystander who lives with permanent damage from the beating? If we're big football stars, many of the judges would, as one did in this book, give you several hours of community service. Eventually after at least a half dozen DUIs, one of which broke through a wall and then partially into the building which was a senior citizens home the police knew he would have to "face the music" but there was one more important game to play. I'm not even counting the hit and run which was proved. Here is a person running around loose who was a serious danger to himself and others. There a no real spoilers in this review. It must be read to see how insane the whole thing gets. Washington University happened to be the college focused on but obviously this happens in virtually all colleges where football reigns king. Excellent yet 3 stars since I felt sick after finishing this thing.
Just demolishes the idea of student athletics. They don't exist. If you happen to play big-time college ball, you can essentially get away with anything. It chews up and spits out the UW football program, and in turn, all of NCAA athletics.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone who isn’t in an athletic program, but colleges tend to favor athletics over academics. But what “Scoreboard, Baby” shows is the disgusting and frankly evil lengths that the University of Washington was willing to go to in order to cover their athletes crimes up for the sake of “good football.” The book is full of villains: rapist, robbers and abusers. Yet, Washington seemed to prop them up as pariahs on campus because they played well.
Overall, Armstrong and Perry did a fantastic job of telling the story of all those involved. They highlight the massive issues still facing both sports journalism and the persecution of celebrities in America. Quotes are used well, with the data not getting to complex until it begins to describe games. The novel is well written and flows easy, only requiring breaks once you get fed up with the societal problems not being fixed. While the books not perfect, it’s a good read for fans of journalism and criminal justice looking for an interesting look at the darker side of football.
Overall, Armstrong and Perry did a fantastic job of telling the story of all those involved. They highlight the massive issues still facing both sports journalism and the persecution of celebrities in America. Quotes are used well, with the data not getting to complex until it begins to describe games. The novel is well written and flows easy, only requiring breaks once you get fed up with the societal problems not being fixed. While the books not perfect, it’s a good read for fans of journalism and criminal justice looking for an interesting look at the darker side of football.
Sad story about double standards for elite college athletes. Very good investigative reporting with many sources - a credible story.
This Edgar winner for True Crime is a riveting, sprawling account of the University of Washington's football team, the crimes committed by some of its players, the complicity of the University, the justice system and the press in covering them up - and, in a larger sense, the rot that pervades the heart of the college football system in general. Think of a Shakespeare tragedy set on the gridiron and you're not far off.
Despite the cast of characters in the front, it can be a little hard to keep track, and Armstrong's story doesn't follow anything close to a straight line - one moment he's talking about the pre-college life of a player, the next he's talking about a Rose Bowl game 20 years ago or all the men who ever coached at the UW, or something else. You have to be prepared to roam. And you have to be prepared to read play-by-play descriptions of games (or skip over a lot of pages). But you don't have to love football, or even like it, to appreciate this meticulously researched look under the rock of one of America's favorite institutions.
Although I think the book is excellent, I give it four stars instead of five for a few reasons. The first is idiosyncratic: I don't love football. If you do, you'd probably add a star right off the bat (so to speak). Second, I got a little tired of Armstrong's rather breathless writing style, which would work better in the sports pages than over 300 pages of relatively small print. But he's very literate (as he points out many sportswriters are). Third, he seems sometimes to lose focus, wandering into a more general indictment of college football (it turns its back on players when they pursue academics) or pursuing long arcs involving interesting characters even when they have nothing to do with "crime and complicity."
Despite the cast of characters in the front, it can be a little hard to keep track, and Armstrong's story doesn't follow anything close to a straight line - one moment he's talking about the pre-college life of a player, the next he's talking about a Rose Bowl game 20 years ago or all the men who ever coached at the UW, or something else. You have to be prepared to roam. And you have to be prepared to read play-by-play descriptions of games (or skip over a lot of pages). But you don't have to love football, or even like it, to appreciate this meticulously researched look under the rock of one of America's favorite institutions.
Although I think the book is excellent, I give it four stars instead of five for a few reasons. The first is idiosyncratic: I don't love football. If you do, you'd probably add a star right off the bat (so to speak). Second, I got a little tired of Armstrong's rather breathless writing style, which would work better in the sports pages than over 300 pages of relatively small print. But he's very literate (as he points out many sportswriters are). Third, he seems sometimes to lose focus, wandering into a more general indictment of college football (it turns its back on players when they pursue academics) or pursuing long arcs involving interesting characters even when they have nothing to do with "crime and complicity."
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Very well written and documented. It should not come as a shock, but unfortunately still is eye opening, the systematic cover ups that occur to protect certain individuals.
This is spectacular non-fiction writing.
Even though it's about a 2000 football team's crimes -- rape, attempted murder, drug use -- it's still as timely as ever. And it's as horrific to read about.
Even though it's about a 2000 football team's crimes -- rape, attempted murder, drug use -- it's still as timely as ever. And it's as horrific to read about.
I ran across this book in a magazine and thought it sounded interesting. The concept and information was alarming and informational. The writing itself was a bit all over the place but a "cast of characters" at the beginning helped in keeping everyone straight.
As far as the information part, wow. Makes you wonder about athletic programs at other schools...
As far as the information part, wow. Makes you wonder about athletic programs at other schools...