A review by cptnmarv41
The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football by Armen Keteyian, Jeff Benedict

4.0

An entertaining, thought provoking, and clearly well researched book about college football. It starts on the very darkest parts of college football. The sexual assaults, the gang rapes, the money. My goodness, all the money. The strictest coaches and the borderline criminal ways they treat their athletes at times. The inappropriate payments to athletes and families, the strip clubs, the insane recruiting process, the young women who are designed to close the deal (on the up and up and otherwise) - this part of the book is enough to make a college fan with a conscious a little bit ill. It really makes you realize, just at the tip of the iceberg, what it is we are all supporting every time we as fans attend a game, watch a game, or buy merch. The other half of the book is more of the lighter and fun stuff. Things like how a billionaire can turn a program around with the right investment. (I gotta tell you, it does make me wish I had that kind of money b/c how fun it would be to lift up one of my favorite young programs, UTSA, in a similar way. If only. Hey, a guy can dream). How players can go from the gangs of Compton to a life changing opportunity. How a promising athlete can forego the pros to make sure he gets his education. How College Gameday is one of the most special sports programs on television. How the greatness of Alabama of the mid 2000's rises above all the other programs. How a coach is recruited by a school and why. It's all there. The good, the very bad, and the super interesting behind the curtain. As an investigative book it's pretty strong. I do like that it touches on many different facets of college football. But I did find myself wanting more out of the most interesting stories found within. If the book fails anywhere it's in that none of these stories go to the fullest possible detail - it's basically a glimpse of many different aspects of the game. Too many of the stories felt unfulfilled - I wanted even more. But as an all-encompassing glimpse into college football as a whole, it's pretty strong. Even ten years on it doesn't feel horribly dated - the biggest thing probably being Mike Leach, who is heavily profiled within, has recently died unexpectedly. Beyond that, it holds up. I can't imagine many serious college football fans wouldn't get some enjoyment out of the book at worst. At best, perhaps they might question if it's all worth it or not.