"But one of the most surprising, and winning, aspects of the book is how wonky it is, how obsessive about actual gameplay - formations, strategies, historical figures. Klosterman is sometimes portrayed - I'd argue incorrectly - as a distant, almost glib observer of the American cultural condition. But it's clear that he loves the sport of football in all its excesses and minutiae, and the result is a book that's unexpectedly emotional and achingly sincere."
"Still, there's plenty of Klosterman's signature insights and madman logic here, and the book is, like all his other work, consistently hilarious: His wry, seemingly alien sense of humor has always been his secret weapon. I spoke with Klosterman about his argument that football's dominance has an end date, whether college football is better than the NFL, and how scared he is that men don't seem to read books anymore."
"In the book, you touch on a long-standing theory of mine, which is that one reason football is so popular is that anyone can watch it and feel like an expert, despite having no idea what's actually going on. But you're wonkier about football than the average fan. Do you think that makes you a better or happier fan, or the opposite?"
Questions include why Americans obsess over football, what the sport reveals about larger culture, and why Creed's Thanksgiving 2001 halftime show functions as a national touchstone. Detailed analysis emphasizes gameplay minutiae: formations, strategies, and historical figures, treating technical wonkery as central to meaning. Portrayals of the sport counter glib detachment by showing an evident love for excess and detail, producing unexpected emotional resonance and sincerity. Humor blends a wry, seemingly alien sensibility with eccentric logic that undercuts and clarifies serious points. Core arguments consider the eventual end of football's cultural dominance, contrasts between college football and the NFL, and anxiety about declining male readership.
Read at Intelligencer
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