Bragging Rights : A Season Inside the SEC, College Football's Toughest Conference

by Richard Ernsberger Jr.

This book is a compelling narrative that follows the progress of a few key players and coaches over the last year.

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[David Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bragging Rights: A Season Inside the SEC, Football's Toughest Conference by Richard Ernsberger, Jr. (M. Evans and Company, Inc. 2000)(796.33263) is a book I have mixed emotions about. On the positive side, the author related a number of good stories about SEC football that I had never heard before. On the other hand, this book is without any doubt the most poorly edited and published book that I've ever run across in my life. I've never heard of the listed publisher (M. Evans and Company, Inc.), but if it is not a vanity publisher, I'll eat my hat. The book teems with so many errors (in spelling and in failure to fact-check) that it's obvious that the author had no fact checker, had no proofreader, and must have had no "spell-check" on his computer. Do you think I'm exaggerating? On page six, the author refers to one of the most legendary plays in SEC history, and surely one of the most oft-told tales in Georgia Bulldog legend: the story of when Hershel Walker (future NFL All-Pro) of Georgia playing in his first college game ran over Bill Bates (future NFL All-Pro)of Tennessee on his way to the end zone against UT in Knoxville. Every Tennessee Vol fan, every Georgia Bulldog fan, every Dallas Cowboy fan, and most likely every SEC football fan knows the story. What was the author's mistake? He referred to the Tennessee player involved as "Jim Bates." That, sports fans, is simply an inexcusable error; in and of itself, the error clearly demonstrates that the author was in WAY over his head in his chosen subject. The errors continue to pile up throughout the book. For instance, Suwannee University, or as it is lovingly called, "The University of the South," is referred to over and over by the author as "Swanee University." I'm sure that even Al Jolson is laughing at the author for that. Indeed, the author can't even spell "Chevrolet Camaro"; he calls the car numerous times "Camero." Dear readers and sports fans, I'm not normally a nitpicker, but in this case, the author's blatant and repeated errors detract and distract from the story he tells. I'm a big fan of college football, in particular the SEC. After reading this book, it's no wonder that I've never read any other book on college football that cites this one, nor have I ever heard anyone ever refer to it in any way. That's a shame, because he has some interesting stories to share which will likely remain unheard. My rating: 5/10 (based solely on content); finished 10/19/11.

[Kate Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The way this book was structured was problematic for me. I thought Ernsberger would draw me in to each team and weave a narrative of one season in the SEC, as the title implies. Instead he focused on one aspect of each team - a coach, recruiting - with the season outcome thrown in at the end of the chapter. "And in 1999 Florida lost the championship." ??? Additionally, this book is RIFE with copy-editing and spelling errors. "Nickle." "Jeweled broach." "Managemeent." "Predominately." Did you know that LSU hired a coach named Lou Saban? Me neither, 'cause it was Nick Saban. I slogged through this, but it was a disappointment.