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A review by jpeavler
The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football by Armen Keteyian, Jeff Benedict
4.0
It's a fascinating read about the inner workings of some of the big-time college football programs. It shows both the good and bad of programs (dealing with rape allegations at BYU, the practice of using "Hostesses," focusing particular attention on U of Tennessee during the Lane Kiffin era, to give just a few examples). The book sheds light on boosters, athletic directors, college presidents, coaches, support staff, and finally the athletes themselves. It is a big ambitious sweeping narrative that covers a large chunk of the last five years or so of college football, highlighting the scandals (Ohio State tattoo scandal, Mike Leach's ousting from Texas Tech) and uplifting stories (the walk-on journey of Ezekiel Ansah at BYU).
The one knock I had against this book was that it barely touched on the largest scandal in NCAA history, the Penn State/Sandusky scandal. About a page and a half is devoted to it. I am assuming the authors made a decision not to focus too much attention on it, but if you are writing a book on "The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football," I felt a little more time and effort should have been devoted to the largest scandal in the history of the sport.
I am assuming the authors made a conscious decision not to focus too much time on Penn State. They seemed to have been more focused on the less known stories, and I commend them for that. But at the same time, I wanted more than just a page and a half.
Other than that one minor issue, the book is a great read for anyone who enjoys college football.
The one knock I had against this book was that it barely touched on the largest scandal in NCAA history, the Penn State/Sandusky scandal. About a page and a half is devoted to it. I am assuming the authors made a decision not to focus too much attention on it, but if you are writing a book on "The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football," I felt a little more time and effort should have been devoted to the largest scandal in the history of the sport.
I am assuming the authors made a conscious decision not to focus too much time on Penn State. They seemed to have been more focused on the less known stories, and I commend them for that. But at the same time, I wanted more than just a page and a half.
Other than that one minor issue, the book is a great read for anyone who enjoys college football.