The King of Sports: Football’s Impact on America

Easterbrook, the “Tuesday Morning Quarterback” columnist for ESPN.com, recognizes that football’s benefits “must be weighed against many negatives.” Colleges spend entirely too much on football, costs included in everyone else’s tuition. Meanwhile, these players are so focused on the gridiron that they are unprepared for the working world, which is why Easterbrook recommends six-year scholarships. On the professional side, Easterbrook is appalled by the lax standards for helmets and the rampant greed of rich NFL team owners, who happily fund their arenas with taxpayer money. Easterbrook excels at exposing and describing the shaky behavior that gets lost in the games’ hoopla. It’s a shame that these observations come wrapped in a smug, academic arrogance—he compares football to Ellison’s Invisible Man for no real reason; two lengthy, distracting chapters on Virginia Tech’s football team serve as a tribute to head coach Frank Beamer, whom Easterbrook canonizes—while some of his claims (e.g., football is a big contributor to child obesity) overlook other societal factors. There’s much to like, but Easterbrook’s tone and alarmist proclamations make it hard to embrace his agenda. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)