9798217282166_

A hilarious but nonetheless groundbreaking contribution to the argument about which force shapes American life the most. For two kinds of readersthose who know its football and those who are about to find out.

Chuck KlostermanNew York Times bestselling cultural critic, journalist, and, yes, football psychoticdid not write this book to help you deepen your appreciation of football, or to be that person at a party, or to make better bets, or validate your preexisting views, positive or negative. Football does in fact do all of these things, but only as steps on the path to the commanding heights.

Cultural theorists talk about hyperobjectsphenomena that bulk so large in the world that their true dimensions are hidden in plain sight. In 2023, 93 of the 100 most-watched programs on American television were pro football games. The most-watched non-football game, the Oscars, landed at 40. Number 39 was a meaningless game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is not an anomaly. And in no other country does one sport have such a chokehold. No, not even soccer in Brazil. Odder still, when you break down the time spent in live action in a three-hour game, the average is eleven minutes. Its as if 95 percent of The Fast and The Furious was spent pumping gas.

Chuck Klosterman gets to the bottom of it. He takes us to Texas, from the religion of high school ball to Americas Team [sic] and its uncanny impact on a young boy in North Dakota named Chuck. He looks at the greatness question, and the gambling question(s), and the symbolic caricature of the coach. He explains the eerie perfection of the marriage between this sport and television that reveals so much about its popularity and how we experience reality. He even conjures a looming extinction event for football. Its not what you think.

A century ago, Yales legendary coach Walter Camp wrote his unified theory of the game. He called it Football. Chuck Klosterman has given us a new Camp for the new age.

...(*_*)9798217282166_

Chuck KlostermanNew York Times bestselling critic, journalist, and, yes, football psychoticdid not write this book to deepen your appreciation of the game. Hes not trying to help you become that person at the party, or to teach you how to make better bets, or to validate any preexisting views you might have about the sport (positive or negative). Football does, in fact, do all of those things. But not in the way such things have been done in the past, and never in a way any normal person would expect.

Cultural theorists talk about hyperobjectsphenomena that bulk so large that their true dimensions are hidden in plain sight. In 2023, 93 of the 100 most-watched programs on U.S. television were NFL football games. This is not an anomaly. This is how society is best understood. Football is not merely the countrys most popular sport; it is engrained in almost everything that explains what America is, even for those who barely pay attention.

Klosterman gets to the bottom of all of it. He takes us to a metaphorical projection of Texas, where the religion of six-man football merges with Americas Team [sic] and makes an inexplicable impact on a boy in North Dakota. He dissects the question of natural greatness, the paradox of gambling and war, and the timeless caricature of the uncompromising head coach. He interrogates the perfection of footballs marriage with television and the morality of acceptable risk. He even conjures an extinction-level event. If iek liked the SEC more than he liked cinema, if Stephen Jay Gould cared about linebackers more than he cared about dinosaurs, if Steve Martin played quarterback instead of the banjo . . . it would still be nothing like this.

A century ago, Yales legendary coach Walter Camp wrote his unified theory of the game. He called it Football. Chuck Klosterman has given us a new Camp for the new age, rooted in a personal history he cannot escape.

...(*_*)9798217282166_

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Could this be the best book on football ever?” —Tyler Cowen

"Another masterwork from one of our greatest minds.” —Esquire

“[An] essential playoff-season read.” —People

A hilarious but nonetheless groundbreaking contribution to the argument about which force shapes American life the most. For two kinds of readers—those who know it’s football and those who are about to find out.**

Chuck Klosterman—New York Times bestselling critic, journalist, and, yes, football psychotic—did not write this book to deepen your appreciation of the game. He’s not trying to help you become that person at the party, or to teach you how to make better bets, or to validate any preexisting views you might have about the sport (positive or negative). Football does, in fact, do all of those things. But not in the way such things have been done in the past, and never in a way any normal person would expect.

Cultural theorists talk about hyperobjects—phenomena that bulk so large that their true dimensions are hidden in plain sight. In 2023, 93 of the 100 most-watched programs on U.S. television were NFL football games. This is not an anomaly. This is how society is best understood. Football is not merely the country’s most popular sport; it is engrained in almost everything that explains what America is, even for those who barely pay attention.

Klosterman gets to the bottom of all of it. He takes us to a metaphorical projection of Texas, where the religion of six-man football merges with America’s Team [sic] and makes an inexplicable impact on a boy in North Dakota. He dissects the question of natural greatness, the paradox of gambling and war, and the timeless caricature of the uncompromising head coach. He interrogates the perfection of football’s marriage with television and the morality of acceptable risk. He even conjures an extinction-level event. If Žižek liked the SEC more than he liked cinema, if Stephen Jay Gould cared about linebackers more than he cared about dinosaurs, if Steve Martin played quarterback instead of the banjo . . . it would still be nothing like this.

A century ago, Yale’s legendary coach Walter Camp wrote his unified theory of the game. He called it Football. Chuck Klosterman has given us a new Camp for the new age, rooted in a personal history he cannot escape.

Football

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