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Why Football Matters: My Education in the Game
Acclaimed essayist Mark Edmundson reflects on his own rite of passage as a high school football player to get to larger truths about the ways America's Game shapes its men
Football teaches young men self-discipline and teamwork. But football celebrates violence. Football is a showcase for athletic beauty and physical excellence. But football damages young bodies and minds, sometimes permanently. Football inspires confidence and direction. But football instills cockiness, a false sense of superiority. The athlete is a noble figure with a proud lineage. The jock is America at its worst.
When Mark Edmundson’s son began to play organized football, and proved to be very good at it, Edmundson had to come to terms with just what he thought about the game. Doing so took him back to his own childhood, when as a shy, soft boy growing up in a blue-collar Boston suburb in the sixties, he went out for the high school football team. Why Football Matters is the story of what happened to Edmundson when he tried to make himself into a football player.
What does it mean to be a football player? At first Edmundson was hapless on the field. He was an inept player and a bad teammate. But over time, he got over his fears and he got tougher. He learned to be a better player and came to feel a part of the team, during games but also on all sorts of escapades, not all of them savory. By playing football, Edmundson became what he and his father hoped he’d be, a tougher, stronger young man, better prepared for life.
But is football-instilled toughness always a good thing? Do the character, courage, and loyalty football instills have a dark side? Football, Edmundson found, can be full of bounties. But it can also lead you into brutality and thoughtlessness. So how do you get what’s best from the game and leave the worst behind?
Why Football Matters is moving, funny, vivid, and filled with the authentic anxiety and exhilaration of youth. Edmundson doesn’t regret playing football for a minute, and cherishes the experience. His triumph is to be able to see it in full, as something to celebrate, but also something to handle with care. For anyone who has ever played on a football team, is the parent of a player, or simply is reflective about its outsized influence on America, Why Football Matters is both a mirror and a lamp.
Football teaches young men self-discipline and teamwork. But football celebrates violence. Football is a showcase for athletic beauty and physical excellence. But football damages young bodies and minds, sometimes permanently. Football inspires confidence and direction. But football instills cockiness, a false sense of superiority. The athlete is a noble figure with a proud lineage. The jock is America at its worst.
When Mark Edmundson’s son began to play organized football, and proved to be very good at it, Edmundson had to come to terms with just what he thought about the game. Doing so took him back to his own childhood, when as a shy, soft boy growing up in a blue-collar Boston suburb in the sixties, he went out for the high school football team. Why Football Matters is the story of what happened to Edmundson when he tried to make himself into a football player.
What does it mean to be a football player? At first Edmundson was hapless on the field. He was an inept player and a bad teammate. But over time, he got over his fears and he got tougher. He learned to be a better player and came to feel a part of the team, during games but also on all sorts of escapades, not all of them savory. By playing football, Edmundson became what he and his father hoped he’d be, a tougher, stronger young man, better prepared for life.
But is football-instilled toughness always a good thing? Do the character, courage, and loyalty football instills have a dark side? Football, Edmundson found, can be full of bounties. But it can also lead you into brutality and thoughtlessness. So how do you get what’s best from the game and leave the worst behind?
Why Football Matters is moving, funny, vivid, and filled with the authentic anxiety and exhilaration of youth. Edmundson doesn’t regret playing football for a minute, and cherishes the experience. His triumph is to be able to see it in full, as something to celebrate, but also something to handle with care. For anyone who has ever played on a football team, is the parent of a player, or simply is reflective about its outsized influence on America, Why Football Matters is both a mirror and a lamp.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2014
17 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
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December 27, 2022This is wonderful, and so much smarter than it appears. I've read books like this that are dumb (or at least simplistic) that are very defensive of football and utterly incurious when it comes to why the game occupies the cultural role that it does, and WHY FOOTBALL MATTERS is only interested in that. There are chapters where football is only tangentially mentioned as it explores, like, THE ILEAD, in order to draw very smart conclusions about the nature of who we root for, and how, and there are a lot of probing questions about whether "character" and "toughness" and "discipline" and all of the things that we assume are the real gifts of an education in football are really worth what we think they are. It's neither a condemnation of football nor a defense of it, but an exploration that leaves the questions to the reader to consider. In times when football is increasingly difficult to countenance as a cultural institution, WHY FOOTBALL MATTERS is an absolutely essential book for anyone who gives a shit about this game, good or bad.
August 12, 2025
Brings a tear to my meathead eye. My only criticism is that he speaks positively of Clemson.
August 24, 2014
I won this book in a First Reads give away. Wonderful mini stories that tell the big story. I found myself wrapped deeply in the authors words. I rooted for the young character and his team and his family. I found myself angry about the dark and violent side of football, yet understanding when I saw how the experiences in football shaped the main character into the man he was to be. I admire the character when he worked so hard off season to become better and stronger; reading and re-reading his 1 athlete magazine.
The part of the book that stays with me most is on page 92. Our main character realizes that football teaches about loss and how to deal with loss in a safe environment. Loss in football matters because football is just a game, but winning is everything. How we learn from our losses makes us better people. The author also makes reference to those who become victory junkies and approach life as wins and losses.
Mark Edmunson's writing made me feel like we were sitting down before Sunday's game and he was telling me stories of his life. Though I, myself, am not a big fan. I can concede that Football Matters. Thank you Mr. Edmundson for sharing.
The part of the book that stays with me most is on page 92. Our main character realizes that football teaches about loss and how to deal with loss in a safe environment. Loss in football matters because football is just a game, but winning is everything. How we learn from our losses makes us better people. The author also makes reference to those who become victory junkies and approach life as wins and losses.
Mark Edmunson's writing made me feel like we were sitting down before Sunday's game and he was telling me stories of his life. Though I, myself, am not a big fan. I can concede that Football Matters. Thank you Mr. Edmundson for sharing.
February 19, 2015
Discusses a lot of ideas that are obvious to anyone who's played sports, and a lot of ideas that will be hard to assess for anyone unwilling to think critically about their time playing sports. Athletics breed dedication, leadership, and courage. They can also nurture conformity, stifle imagination, encourage blind acceptance of the status quo.
May 14, 2020
I looked forward to reading this for SO long, and I ended up being disappointed. Sure, there was a thread of him playing football throughout, but listening to this sounded more like a straight memoir (of someone whom I wouldn't necessarily read one about). The football element really could have been any group/sport to me.
:/
2.5
:/
2.5
February 10, 2017
I originally learned of this book through listening to a podcast. Intrigued, I ordered an audiobook version from the library via interloan. Having now finished my listen, I'd really love to give this a 2.5 star rating. The book rambles, and topics and subjects are repeated several times in a row. Some of the discussion *is* interesting. The benefits of playing football -- developing character, loyalty, and courage -- and the dark side of football -- the racism, injuries, and the potential corruption of character, loyalty, and courage into forces for evil -- are analyzed, often with some surprising insights.
Still, I would disagree heavily with some of Edmundson's analyses. His conception of character and courage do not fit well with classical models and understanding, and it weakens, I think, the force of his argument. The dualistic model of courage that he presents -- Achilles or Hector -- is also problematic. Does Achilles possess true courage, in the classical sense, or is he really driven by rage and hubris? Is Hector's courage really as wussy as Edmundson makes it out to be? I'm always distrustful of dualisms, because they often create an artificial either/or split, where the reality is perhaps more both/and.
Nonetheless, I think I have a deeper appreciation as to why football matters, and that's a good thing.
Still, I would disagree heavily with some of Edmundson's analyses. His conception of character and courage do not fit well with classical models and understanding, and it weakens, I think, the force of his argument. The dualistic model of courage that he presents -- Achilles or Hector -- is also problematic. Does Achilles possess true courage, in the classical sense, or is he really driven by rage and hubris? Is Hector's courage really as wussy as Edmundson makes it out to be? I'm always distrustful of dualisms, because they often create an artificial either/or split, where the reality is perhaps more both/and.
Nonetheless, I think I have a deeper appreciation as to why football matters, and that's a good thing.
May 21, 2019
I thought that this book was really good, one because I like sports and I like to read about sports and their perspective and views on it as well. I liked this book because the author grew up in Malden which was fairly close to were I live and I could connect to how he feels. This book also connects on multiple emotions, sadness, joy, and confusion at times. Overall I thought this book was very good and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read about sports and first person actions during sports as well, and what it takes to get to the top.
September 18, 2014
Mark Edmundson makes the case for why football is important for him. The personal meaning that the sports holds for him is complex and interesting. His dad's respect for Jim Brown and Y. A. Tittle is understandably important in Edmundson's shaping as a man. His case for why football should be important to the rest of us is presented in his customarily thoughtful way, but it's a harder sell. Some of the second argument is complicated by his recognition of our divided natures; e.g., many of us go to church on Sunday and take in the Gospel messages of forgiveness and mercy, and then go home to "watch young men try to bust each other's spleens (147)." The section on how two opposing beliefs ("worship Jesus . . . and worship the forearm shiver (150)") get reconciled is pretty interesting, but it doesn't really penetrate the mystery of how and why people do so. The connection between Western culture (Achilles as a major example) and modern sports is also discussed, but the mystery still eludes us. Achilles was heroic and exemplary, but he was also a textbook model of a tragic figure doomed by his own flaws. Maybe, in the wake of the latest NFL scandals, Achilles is an apt choice. As Edmundson says, "The game gives and the game takes away and it does so for high stakes. Its potential benefits are vast; its dangers are too(225)."
April 9, 2018
What a great book from a guy who played high school football, transforming himself from a flabby, uncertain kid to a young man of courage and loyalty. Along the way, he struggles with his desire to be the classical Hector - a thinking man in an aggressive game, with what he sees as the success of the latter day Achilles on the field: ruthless, unfeeling and unrepentant. Mark Edmundson ends up with a career teaching English at the University of Virginia; and his son becomes a high school football player.
February 20, 2026
Why Football Matters is a sports story by Mark Edmundson
I gave Why Football Matters four stars because a lot of what Mark Edmundson talks about felt familiar to me. I could see parts of my own football experience in his story. I almost gave it three stars, though, because some parts felt a little outdated, especially when he describes how teams practiced and operated compared to how football is today. Even so, the personal connections I felt while reading made the book meaningful overall. The book begins with Edmundson reflecting on his childhood and his relationship with his father. He shares a memory of watching Giants games together and splitting a candy bar during the game. It seems like a small detail, but it becomes one of his most important childhood memories. It shows how football was tied to family, comfort, and bonding from an early age. As the book goes on, we see changes and struggles within his family, and football becomes something steady in the middle of that uncertainty. At its core, the book argues that football is more than just a sport. Edmundson sees it as something that shapes identity and teaches lessons that stick with you long after the season ends. He describes football as a demanding teacher. It requires discipline, commitment, teamwork, and the ability to put the team ahead of yourself. Those lessons aren’t always easy, but they build character. One of the biggest themes is transformation. Football forces players to face fear, doubt, and physical limits. The challenges on the field often reflect what’s happening internally. Growth feels immediate because you can see it in your performance and mindset. I really connected with this idea because football pushed me in ways that helped shape who I am today. Another important theme is leadership. Edmundson talks about coaches as authority figures who can inspire greatness but also shape values. He explores the balance between toughness and compassion and questions what kind of leadership truly helps young people grow. The book also touches on masculinity and belonging, showing football as a place where ideas about strength, loyalty, and sacrifice are tested. Overall, it presents football as a metaphor for life and the lessons learned through discipline, struggle, and teamwork.
I gave Why Football Matters four stars because a lot of what Mark Edmundson talks about felt familiar to me. I could see parts of my own football experience in his story. I almost gave it three stars, though, because some parts felt a little outdated, especially when he describes how teams practiced and operated compared to how football is today. Even so, the personal connections I felt while reading made the book meaningful overall. The book begins with Edmundson reflecting on his childhood and his relationship with his father. He shares a memory of watching Giants games together and splitting a candy bar during the game. It seems like a small detail, but it becomes one of his most important childhood memories. It shows how football was tied to family, comfort, and bonding from an early age. As the book goes on, we see changes and struggles within his family, and football becomes something steady in the middle of that uncertainty. At its core, the book argues that football is more than just a sport. Edmundson sees it as something that shapes identity and teaches lessons that stick with you long after the season ends. He describes football as a demanding teacher. It requires discipline, commitment, teamwork, and the ability to put the team ahead of yourself. Those lessons aren’t always easy, but they build character. One of the biggest themes is transformation. Football forces players to face fear, doubt, and physical limits. The challenges on the field often reflect what’s happening internally. Growth feels immediate because you can see it in your performance and mindset. I really connected with this idea because football pushed me in ways that helped shape who I am today. Another important theme is leadership. Edmundson talks about coaches as authority figures who can inspire greatness but also shape values. He explores the balance between toughness and compassion and questions what kind of leadership truly helps young people grow. The book also touches on masculinity and belonging, showing football as a place where ideas about strength, loyalty, and sacrifice are tested. Overall, it presents football as a metaphor for life and the lessons learned through discipline, struggle, and teamwork.
March 17, 2018
Although short, this book covers what it sets out to. In a world that seems increasingly lost this book covers a bite-sized portion of philosophy that doesn't seem forced in or stretched to connect them to the sport of football. People who are fans of the game will connect with this right away and even people who are not necessarily hardcore football fans will still find something worth while.
October 20, 2020
I’d give 4.5 stars if I could. A great read about the psycho-social effects of playing football in high school. It’s thoughtful as it’s written by a philosopher but it does tend to ramble or repeat itself at times, hence the docked half-star. Well worth the read if you intend to play or let your kids play football. Edmundson is honest about the good and the bad.
December 26, 2024
Saw this book on our bookshelf when I got home for break and picked it up because I took Professor Edmundson’s class last semester at UVA. Reading this book was like being back in his class again! His writing voice is exactly as he is in person. It’s entertaining and was especially interesting to read as someone not super into sports who didn’t grow up watching football almost at all.
November 24, 2020
For boys, men and for people who teach them. Edmundson's a scrappy Massachusetts kid turned American Literature scholar and UVA professor. Memoir, cultural criticism, and daddydom at its best
January 30, 2023
the book did not give a story or biography about the game, but instead gave an overview of football itself and took a dive into the culture that football brings the whole world but America in specific. It also goes over the important details like concessions at stadiums and team aspects. The whole book captures the sport in different ways.
August 12, 2014
Edmundson writes a book about football that is thoughtful and has some interesting ideas. The book is well written, his claims are supported well, but it felt too much like I was reading a paper written for a class. If you are looking for an introspective and variable opinion of football, then you will enjoy this book. It is honestly everything I expected it to be. I just didn't love it.
Edmundson writes about the good and bad of football. There are 8 chapters and an intro and conclusion.
The intro and conclusion are both about family relationships as they relate to football. Edmundson talks about his father and later talks about his son.
Chapter 1- Character
In this chapter, Edmundson waffles quite a bit. He writes about how character can be learned from being part of a football team. He describes character in terms of determination and one-mindedness, often at the expense of thought.
Chapter 2- Courage
This chapter is primarily about the militaristic qualities of football. He spends much of the chapter comparing the characters of Achilles and Hector from the Iliad. This is linked to football by comparing the attitudes of players and the idea that some can turn the violence off and others cannot.
Chapter 3- Losing
This chapter is about winning as much as it is about losing. How do you get back up from a loss? Learning to lose is important, otherwise football players will often try to win at everything in life.
Chapter 4- Character (part 2)
In this chapter, Edmundson primarily writes about his determination to get stronger between his junior and senior year. It is also about teenage pride and angst. He just wants to be accepted and is willing to sacrifice important things (ability to see well) for that goal.
Chapter 5- Patriotism
This chapter contained more about the military links to football. Football is often used to glamorize and idealize war. There are "heroes" on the football field. He also examines how some young football players feel pressured to believe in war and his realization that playing football does not require certain political beliefs.
Chapter 6- Faith
This chapter explores the strange dichotomy of football and faith. Teams pray before games and then hit opponents as hard as possible. Does Jesus care which team wins any game?
Chapter 7- Manliness (More like racism)
This chapter is titled manliness, but it might as well be called the white guilt chapter. Edmundson compares football to a Battle Royal scene in Invisible Man. So many players being black and so many owners being white. He is careful not to call it exploitation, but he doesn't come far from describing it as such.
Chapter 8- Loyalty
In this chapter, the group mentality created by football is explored. Often males perform terrible acts when put in a group (mob) mentality. Even off the field, this sort of loyalty and group dynamic can lead to trouble.
Overall, it is a book of well supported opinions and ideas. I agree with some, but not others. If you are looking for a book to get you hyped up about an upcoming football season, then you should look elsewhere. If anything, this book will do the opposite. Again, well written, but I just didn't enjoy it that much.
Edmundson writes about the good and bad of football. There are 8 chapters and an intro and conclusion.
The intro and conclusion are both about family relationships as they relate to football. Edmundson talks about his father and later talks about his son.
Chapter 1- Character
In this chapter, Edmundson waffles quite a bit. He writes about how character can be learned from being part of a football team. He describes character in terms of determination and one-mindedness, often at the expense of thought.
Chapter 2- Courage
This chapter is primarily about the militaristic qualities of football. He spends much of the chapter comparing the characters of Achilles and Hector from the Iliad. This is linked to football by comparing the attitudes of players and the idea that some can turn the violence off and others cannot.
Chapter 3- Losing
This chapter is about winning as much as it is about losing. How do you get back up from a loss? Learning to lose is important, otherwise football players will often try to win at everything in life.
Chapter 4- Character (part 2)
In this chapter, Edmundson primarily writes about his determination to get stronger between his junior and senior year. It is also about teenage pride and angst. He just wants to be accepted and is willing to sacrifice important things (ability to see well) for that goal.
Chapter 5- Patriotism
This chapter contained more about the military links to football. Football is often used to glamorize and idealize war. There are "heroes" on the football field. He also examines how some young football players feel pressured to believe in war and his realization that playing football does not require certain political beliefs.
Chapter 6- Faith
This chapter explores the strange dichotomy of football and faith. Teams pray before games and then hit opponents as hard as possible. Does Jesus care which team wins any game?
Chapter 7- Manliness (More like racism)
This chapter is titled manliness, but it might as well be called the white guilt chapter. Edmundson compares football to a Battle Royal scene in Invisible Man. So many players being black and so many owners being white. He is careful not to call it exploitation, but he doesn't come far from describing it as such.
Chapter 8- Loyalty
In this chapter, the group mentality created by football is explored. Often males perform terrible acts when put in a group (mob) mentality. Even off the field, this sort of loyalty and group dynamic can lead to trouble.
Overall, it is a book of well supported opinions and ideas. I agree with some, but not others. If you are looking for a book to get you hyped up about an upcoming football season, then you should look elsewhere. If anything, this book will do the opposite. Again, well written, but I just didn't enjoy it that much.
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January 17, 2015Why Football Matter:My Education is about a boy who grow up watching football with his father. Edmundson wants to be a a good football player like his father wants him to be. when he gets on the field he's horrible. He was an bad player and a bad teammate. But as time progress, he gets over his fears and he gained confidence and become a more tougher player. He learned to be a better player and came to feel apart of the team, during games but also on all sorts of activities, not all of them are successful. By playing football, Edmundson became what he and his father hoped he’d be, a tougher and a stronger young man. I personal like this book because i'm a fan of football. The story is straaightfoward and not very hard to understand. The story has many twist, but not to the point where it being to confusing. The best thing about this book is that its about football, as i mentioned previously that i'm a fan of football. However, this book does focus on football rather more than education, but this book is still good. For example, when he chose football over school that was a lack of support on education based of football, but has parts where they do focus on school. This book does tell how someone can overcome there fear of doing something. Besides the football over school , I would most likey recommend "Why Football Matters: My Education". The excitement of knowing what the next chapter is going to be about is. anyone who likes to read about football or likes football in general will also enjoy this book. If you read like to read about Father-son connection, football books, moving, funny, vivid or sports books there's a possibility that you’ll probably enjoy this book. i like this book very mcuh and hope that another series in the content of "Why Football Matters: My Education".
May 21, 2015
Why Football Matters by Mark Edmundson is simply amazing. It has become one of my favorite books of all time. It starts of with a young Mark Edmundson recalling life with his father. He talked about how amazing their relationship was with each other. The reason for this tight bond was, the greatest sport in the word, football. The two would crowd in front of the television every Sunday and immerse themselves into every game. They would dissect the game like true football purists do to this day, watching in awe as players like Jim Brown and Lawrence Taylor embarrassed their opponents. This beautiful tradition would continue in Mark's life, all the way up until his Junior year in high school where he got a sudden urge. An urge to play football instead of watch.
This book is an instant classic to me. It isn't the typical sports book, mainly because it is based on real life, there isn't the poor kid who's only chance to make it out of the "hood" is a ball and a dream. This book is far more realistic than those others. This book shows the life of a football purist. It shows a loving relationship between father and son. It also shows how much this great sport really does for people's lives. I fell in love with this book early on because it spoke to me. It was almost looking at a mirror image of my own life.
I feel like an obvious recommendation would be to anyone who truly loves football. this book is for people who really appreciate the game and its affect on people's lives. this book is for every player and every coach who ever understood, or wanted to learn, the true meaning of football. In my opinion the book deserves 5 out of 5 stars and that any football purist would love it.
This book is an instant classic to me. It isn't the typical sports book, mainly because it is based on real life, there isn't the poor kid who's only chance to make it out of the "hood" is a ball and a dream. This book is far more realistic than those others. This book shows the life of a football purist. It shows a loving relationship between father and son. It also shows how much this great sport really does for people's lives. I fell in love with this book early on because it spoke to me. It was almost looking at a mirror image of my own life.
I feel like an obvious recommendation would be to anyone who truly loves football. this book is for people who really appreciate the game and its affect on people's lives. this book is for every player and every coach who ever understood, or wanted to learn, the true meaning of football. In my opinion the book deserves 5 out of 5 stars and that any football purist would love it.
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May 26, 2015This book was very good and learned that there can be many theme's to one story or sport. Football is the most dangerous sport of all shows statically wise. Football in the story was for the exciting games the main characters son starting to play football he complained but in the head hard work paid off. It was just dad and son no one else were in there life, they had communication everyday , most people don't have that at all. But they both enjoyed football for many reasons , dad because he grew up around it and he has played before in his previous years.
To me the book was good but it could of been a lot better. I would say that the exposition could of had more background information it told what job the dad did and that he worked two jobs but didn't say why he didn't make it in football. I liked how the author described some of the sentences in the book it caused me to see imagery. Most parts explained that football wasn't a sport was a passion and teamwork use to beat opponents. Dad and son had a good connection between each other even started to train and play football for his school team , had a hard time but he tried again until he succeeded.
I would recommend this book to others because it was a good book. I believe if you love sports and want to learn more background on football , you would enjoy reading this story. Football as I said has many meaning and theme's to it. His dad and himself had a bond that no one could break , it was a good one. Many people don't have a father in their life to teach them football or anything they need, football has been around for a long time. Why football matters was the title of the story, it had great meaning to it. So I would recommend this book to others so that they can read and enjoy to.
October 29, 2015
Why Football Matters
In the book Why Football Matters, by Mark Edmundson, the author explains his passion for football growing up. He writes how he grew up in New York, watching the Giants play every Sunday with his dad. As he grows up, he decides to play football, but faces a big hardship when his sister passes away. Although he was never an outstanding player, he held his own. As he later becomes a father himself, his son, Matthew, develops a deep love for football as well. When he decides to play flag football, he instantly becomes an all-star.
As this story progresses, the author takes you through his development in the knowledge of football. One thing the author did very well on was his description of the characters in the story. The author used descriptive words to make you feel like you were looking at the character in front of you. Another key thing the author did excellent on was his choice of words. He used words so well I had to look them up in a dictionary! He used these words to describe the characters, which is mentioned above. Although the author did very well on these things, I felt he could have gone more into detail about the impact the death of his sister had on his family.
Overall, I would rate this book 4.5/5 stars. I connected to the author because I too have a deep passion for not only football, but all sports. I would recommend this book to people who share a passion for football, but also to people who have faced hardships and want to overcome them.
In the book Why Football Matters, by Mark Edmundson, the author explains his passion for football growing up. He writes how he grew up in New York, watching the Giants play every Sunday with his dad. As he grows up, he decides to play football, but faces a big hardship when his sister passes away. Although he was never an outstanding player, he held his own. As he later becomes a father himself, his son, Matthew, develops a deep love for football as well. When he decides to play flag football, he instantly becomes an all-star.
As this story progresses, the author takes you through his development in the knowledge of football. One thing the author did very well on was his description of the characters in the story. The author used descriptive words to make you feel like you were looking at the character in front of you. Another key thing the author did excellent on was his choice of words. He used words so well I had to look them up in a dictionary! He used these words to describe the characters, which is mentioned above. Although the author did very well on these things, I felt he could have gone more into detail about the impact the death of his sister had on his family.
Overall, I would rate this book 4.5/5 stars. I connected to the author because I too have a deep passion for not only football, but all sports. I would recommend this book to people who share a passion for football, but also to people who have faced hardships and want to overcome them.
July 13, 2016
I enjoy the occasional sports-related read, especially those that deal with the larger game of life. The author speaks about a history that many of us share - for many sons and fathers football is the largest bonding experience they share. Mark Edmundson, a literature professor, shares his own bonding experience with his father. His father was an avid New York Giants fan and frequently imparted advice on his son via the big Sunday NFL game; he had equal admiration for, but contrasted pro player giants such as fullback Jim Brown, who had "amazing gifts" for football vs. quarterback Y.A. Tittle of average size but an incredible work ethic and determination. Edmundson's interweaving of excerpts from Classic literature and literature classics give this book a very holistic feel. It's also very introspective: Edmundson shares his initial struggles fitting in with the football team and coaches. While reading about his high school experiences, I couldn't help but think of "Friday Night Lights". If you enjoyed "Friday Night Lights", you will also enjoy this book.
January 28, 2015
Edmundson has written a memoir about his high school experience with football. Using his expertise as a scholar of the classics, he mixes classic literature with his experiences. He hints at making the case for football in his opening chapter but mutes that theme in subsequent chapters. He tells a good story, including some of the excesses that high school football players engage in.
The book has been advertised as making the case for the value of football as a tool of learning. Maybe so. But, the author gives little insight into the modern practice of football: excessive salaries in the pros and open admission to any football player at the college level. His experience was 40 years ago at a time when the game was very different.
Despite these excessive claims in the promotion of the book, it’s a good read, especially for young readers who see football as excessive and violent and not about character building.
The book has been advertised as making the case for the value of football as a tool of learning. Maybe so. But, the author gives little insight into the modern practice of football: excessive salaries in the pros and open admission to any football player at the college level. His experience was 40 years ago at a time when the game was very different.
Despite these excessive claims in the promotion of the book, it’s a good read, especially for young readers who see football as excessive and violent and not about character building.
October 23, 2015
Very early on, I was tempted to give up on this book, as I had wanted more "Why Football Matters" in a broad sociological sense than "Why Football Mattered to Me as a High School Player." And the early chapters on building courage and character seemed more about idealized football than the actual game. However, it takes an important turn and examines how a love for football - individually and collectively - is a Faustian bargain that for Edmundson gave more than it took away, but for many others, the balance sheet is far more troubling. Among the many literary lenses Edmundson adopts to examine the game, the parallels to The Iliad and Ellison's Invisible Man are particularly powerful. The sense I get is that when it's just about the game, football is a sport that confers benefits on the players and that may provide harmless amusement to society. However, as Edmundson notes, it's so very rarely just about the game.
February 2, 2015
There is much to like about this book but it is uneven. The chapter on courage, which connects football to the Iliad, is terrific. Some of the others, not so good. But the big miss for me is that Edmundson confuses being on a football team with being a football player. He was on the team, but he was not a player. He mostly watches the games from the sidelines. Th book therefore misses the feel of amplified range of emotions that comes with playing every game. Everything is just more vivid. It's an unbelievable rush. He does get a couple of important things though. First, that a good coach can make you do things you didn't think you could do (his reference to the James Dickey poem is perfect: "They want you to be better than you are.") Second, that speed matters.
October 6, 2015
Mark writes about football thru the lens of personal experience. Who would of thought? He taught at my boarding school, where Frisbee was the closest thing to football. There was a course on sports, but Mark did not teach it, having moved on to literature and philosophy. I did take the sports course; my father had started writing books on the sociology of sport.
Having been picked last, or not at all, I knew little about football, and it was interesting to read about someone who knows the inner workings of the game. I was never fond of jocks, but I started seriously watching the Seahawks in college. The complexity of the game wowed me. And here is someone who could both play and write, sharing his experience.
Having been picked last, or not at all, I knew little about football, and it was interesting to read about someone who knows the inner workings of the game. I was never fond of jocks, but I started seriously watching the Seahawks in college. The complexity of the game wowed me. And here is someone who could both play and write, sharing his experience.
February 25, 2015
I found this book much more captivating and informative than I thought I would. Edmundson begins the book with memories of watching football with his father, and continues with his own experiences playing in school. He admits to not having a lot of natural ability for the game, but is very candid with why he decided to play football, stuck with it, and enjoyed it. I especially liked the balance of the book, looking at both the positive and the negative implications of being a recreational player, a professional player and a spectator. The book is also very easy to read. Recommended.
January 25, 2015
I can say that I enjoyed reading but I could not really connect. Some of the stories were way off base for me. Especially the whole attempt to explain black football player experience from a white college professor. I also didn't see how he associated his teenage vandalism to a football experience. Could just as easily been any pack of drunk high school thugs.
I never felt he answered the question that is the title of this book. At least not for me.
I never felt he answered the question that is the title of this book. At least not for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2015
Would probably give this just under 4 stars. Edmundson is a terrific prose writer, and there are plenty of witty and genius anecdotes in the book.
This book didn't do much help me get across the strongest arguments against the game of football as currently directed. Edmundson himself claims that there is a looming question mark over America's passion and new pastime.
Still, this book is worth the quick read it offers.
This book didn't do much help me get across the strongest arguments against the game of football as currently directed. Edmundson himself claims that there is a looming question mark over America's passion and new pastime.
Still, this book is worth the quick read it offers.
February 5, 2015
Why does football matter? I still don't know. Edmundson (a college professor who won't let you forget that or miss an opportunity to remind you how smart he thinks he is) never really makes the case for why football matters more than just about anything else. WHY FOOTBALL MATTERS is self-congratulatory and teaches nothing of interest about the game or what it means.
October 22, 2014
This is a great memoir. I think Mark Edmundson is awesome, and I was deeply moved by the points he made concerning race and football in this book. His comments and thoughts on race were insightful and powerful, and -- for me as a writer -- a call to do better in my own fiction.
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