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A review by yostertag
Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs in Sports History by Mike Pesca
5.0
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)