Football by Chuck Klosterman
9.5 out of 10Gridiron football is an unrivaled television product in the US. This book unpacks that phenomenon.
The game is a series of systematic maneuvers orchestrated by hierarchical institutions. Beauty exists, but it is nary a domain for artists. Texas teenagers can become local legends. Samoan families can become dynasties.
Will football maintain its cultural dominance forever? Of course not. Nothing does. Future folk will likely view football the way we view boxing or horse racing. (Or possibly gladiatorial games.)
In typical Chuck Klosterman style, the author uses factual events and a bright mind to orbit around one of his beloved topics like a stunt motorcyclist in a steel cage ball, with nonzero odds of falling.