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Sports from Hell
by
Rick Reilly
The most popular sports columnist in America puts his life (and dignity) on the line in search of the most absurd sporting event on the planet.
What is the stupidest sport in the world? Not content to pontificate from the sidelines, Rick Reilly set out on a global journey—with stops in Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, England, and even a maximum security prison at ...more
What is the stupidest sport in the world? Not content to pontificate from the sidelines, Rick Reilly set out on a global journey—with stops in Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, England, and even a maximum security prison at ...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
May 4th 2010
by Doubleday/ESPN Books
(first published 2010)
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Meh. Not as funny as I thought it would be. There are some weird shadings that make some of the stories uncomfortable - the ferret legging isn't very funny once some woman gets horribly bitten, for instance. Prison rodeo is okay if you can suspend your disbelief & care about the rodeo adventures of some convicted murderers, but at the end Reilly gets the reaction of one of the victim's fathers, which kind of deflates the whole thing: "I didn't know that someone who raped & murdered an innoc...more
Rick Reilly has been voted National Sportswriter of the Year, eleven times!!!!! He has been a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, and is currently a columnist for ESPN.com. He has written several books including the New York Times bestselling , "Who's Your Caddy?.
In "Sports from Hell" Reilly has searched the globe for the world's stupidest idea of a sporting competition. He traveled to eight countries over three and a half years in this quest.
To give s...more
In "Sports from Hell" Reilly has searched the globe for the world's stupidest idea of a sporting competition. He traveled to eight countries over three and a half years in this quest.
To give s...more
Another great book from the best sportswriter alive. I found the first 100 pages of this book so funny, that a couple times I had to leave the coffee shop because I was laughing so much and didn't want to disturb anyone. Reilly's sentences describing funny situations are better than anyone, and he makes you feel as if you were actually there watching these dumb events like Bull-Poker, Chess Boxing, Beer Games, Girl Football, Jarts and Feret Legging. Although Reilly has written one of the most hi...more
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Reilly's sense of humor is tasteful and optimistic, even when he's covering stuff that is far from the former, as with the chapter on drinking games. I laughed out loud frequently while reading this book. Reilly has a gifted ability to raise the lowbrow to something Shakespearean with his elevated and witty prose. The premise may be a little off-putting; on the surface, it appears as if he's shining a light on these sports and their participants only to ridicule them, but if you know anything...more
3.5/5 - A hilarious read. I have to admit that my own sports (rock climbing and ultimate) are pretty stupid, so how could I not love other stupid sports? Highlights include having a chapter on baseball, which cracked me up, as well as another chapter on sports in New Zealand in general! This book doesn't pretend to be anything it's not, and does a great job hitting its target. In the end, I have to agree with the author - it's a pretty fantastic thing to see someone be passionate about something...more
Adam N.
added it
Sports From Hell:
A Mans Quest to Find the Dumbest Sports Competition
What would you do if you found a contest to see who could keep a large
rat in their pants the longest? Well in Rick Rielly’s Sports From Hell this is the case.
Rick goes to various parts of the country and explores some of the wackiest sports games
and competitions known to man. Some of these include The World Santa Championship
and Chess Boxing. This book takes place all across the United Sates o...more
Bought and read on the advice of my son, it is not your typical sport story. It is, instead, stories of 13 different sporting events which take place around the world. The author took three years traveling from one event to another, and participating in these events. Some were really different, such as the Nude Bicycling, the World Sauna Championship (where participants willingly bake themselves to see who can stay in temperatures of about 270 degrees the longest, and where this year one part...more
This book was hilarious and very informative! I was hooked just reading the sample and had to get it. Rick Reilly is a wonderful writer and he makes you fully experience even the most outlandish and crazy sports. I only wish there were more pictures in the book. Reilly does a great job of illustrating everything, but the only pictures were the tiny images without a caption at the beginning of each chapter. Regardless, it is definitely one of my favorite funny books.
Rick Reilly is a great sports writer when his column is one page or so, however; an entire book of his essays would put a meth head to sleep. He also has this annoying habit of telling the reader how hot his wife is all the time.
Rick, she is not that hot.In the author photo she is a 6 at best for a suburban housewife and probably a 4 or 5 in a big city. He also has about a thousand one-liners that would make even the stupidest Republican cringe.
Rick, she is not that hot.In the author photo she is a 6 at best for a suburban housewife and probably a 4 or 5 in a big city. He also has about a thousand one-liners that would make even the stupidest Republican cringe.
What's not to envy about Rick Reilly? Long-time Sports Illustrated writer, ESPN analyst. Accompanied during the research for this book by a beautiful blonde "researcher", half his age, nicknamed "TLC" (she subsequently became his wife). He personifies "the life of Reilly".
The book? Oh, yes, the book. Funny as hell, even if you're not a Reilly fan. He covers some of the weirdest "sports" you've never heard of. It's laugh out loud material.
The book? Oh, yes, the book. Funny as hell, even if you're not a Reilly fan. He covers some of the weirdest "sports" you've never heard of. It's laugh out loud material.
Rick Reilly is funny. Funny when he's picking on himself and funny when he's picking on others. I literally LOLd with this book.
The premise is that Reilly heads around the globe to find, and most of the time participate in, the world's dumbest sports. Chess Boxing, Rock-Scissors-Paper Championship, Ferret Legging, Beer Pong, World Sauna Championships...even Jarts (remember metal lawn darts?) make the list.
Easy, fun read.
The premise is that Reilly heads around the globe to find, and most of the time participate in, the world's dumbest sports. Chess Boxing, Rock-Scissors-Paper Championship, Ferret Legging, Beer Pong, World Sauna Championships...even Jarts (remember metal lawn darts?) make the list.
Easy, fun read.
This book is hilarious. Rick Reilly can do funny without being overly sarcastic and he can write about unusual people without mocking them. His book is chocked full of unusual people and Reilly tells their stories with all of their peculiarities but never in a mean-spirited way. This makes his stories all the more funny. You feel like you are laughing with people who put ferrets down their pants, not at them.
Each chapter contains a sport deemed "dumb" by Reilly and there are some very funny moments. In fact the book starts off really well, holds my interest, and is very funny including a spit-out-my-drink while i'm listening moment but then descends into some later chapters such as why baseball is dumb. I wasn't a fan of that chapter or some of the other later chapters as 'sports'.
The author explores, and attempts, some bizarre sports and games around the world. Sometimes entertaining; sometimes just dumb. Not the author's best - did we really need a chapter on drinking games or a chapter of him blasting baseball as "dumb"? Instead, I would have rathered seen him explore other actual "dumb" sports. Nonetheless, the balance was a light, fast, and fun read.
He's a good writer; I miss his column from Sports Illustrated. He has a sort of jock mentality, but he's overall a nice guy, so it's okay. There are some very strange competitions in this book. His coverage of the prison rodeo was interesting, as was the Beirut championship (only those philistines over at UC call it beer pong) coverage. A fun book overall.
Tammy
added it
Parts of this book had me laughing so hard I was crying. I especially loved the chapters on the World Sauna Championship, the 3-mile golf hole, and the Rock Paper Scissors Championship (I so want to go to that one). The last chapter, on homeless soccer, isn't funny and isn't meant to be, but it does give a great alternative view on how to help others in a truly meaningful way.
The only complaint I have with this book is that the author referred to his then-girlfriend (now wife) as T...more
The only complaint I have with this book is that the author referred to his then-girlfriend (now wife) as T...more
A top sportswriter gets into his head to find -- and wherever possible, participate in -- the world's dumbest sports, then spends the next three years traversing the globe to find, watch and play some credulity-straining but real sports. The result is eye-opening, funny & astoundingly raunchy.
This was a fun, easy read that I found both entertaining and informative. Rick Reilly's writing makes me laugh and managed to introduce me to a lot of nonsense that others call sports. Even a marginal sports fan would enjoy this book.
This book was all right. In some places in was absolutely hilarious, and always entertaining. Perhaps one thing that marked it down a notch, at least for me, is that Reilly was very raunchy in this book.
While parts of this are really funny (esp. the chapter on the sport of chess boxing... or the one on why baseball is a dumb game), overall the book stoops to frat boy humor (booze, puke & chicks) and frat boy language way too often for me to recommend it.
I couldn't finish this book. While the author has a witty writing style and has picked some of the most bizarre sports (poker bullfighting for example)or long distance golf (one hole is 5 miles, downhill)the sports choices begin to fizzle and his style of humor get a bit repetitive. I'd recommend this only to fans of his other books or satire-laden commentary fans of Dave Barry.
Some are best in audio and this is one of them. Funny as hell!
Caution: Listening to this while driving may make you laugh hystically, make you lose control of your car and wreck!
Caution: Listening to this while driving may make you laugh hystically, make you lose control of your car and wreck!
Very entertaining book from Reilly, who is almost always funny, although a total smart aleck, about non-mainstream sports, from women's football to competive sauna sitting.
It's good to read about people passionate about something, although you really have to wonder about some of these people. What drives a person to put a ferret or two down the trousers for competition's sake? A funny read that'll amaze you on just how nutty people are.
Review at Reality Rules
Hilarious tales. I almost can't believe that some of these events are real.
Pretty funny book. I really want to play golf from the top of the mountain!
There are definitely some odd competitions in this world that pass for sports. Very fun and easy to read. Didn't really leave me with any lasting impressions.
A good book for shutting off your brain and being entertained for a few hours.
Light reading. Made me laugh out loud a couple times.
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