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God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back) | 
 enlarge | Author: Will Leitch
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $14.06
You Save: $10.89 (44%)
New (23) Used (11) from $11.60
Avg. Customer Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 12293
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0061351784
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9780061351785
ASIN: 0061351784
Publication Date: February 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new book. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling books online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20080521212553T
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
ESPN thinks its viewers are stupid. The Olympics claw at your inner sap. Barbaro, after all, was just a horse. So says Will Leitch, founding editor of Deadspin.com, whose God Save the Fan is your new manifesto. Arch and unrepentant, Leitch is the mouthpiece for all the frustrated fans who just want their games back from big money, bloated egos, and blathering sportscasters. Always a fan first and a journalist second, Leitch considers the perfection of fantasy leagues, the meaninglessness of the steroids debate, and the aching permanence of loyalty to just one team. He'll tell you why, long before that dogfighting mess, Michael Vick's undercover STD clinic name was Ron Mexico; why athletes persist in publicly praising God; and what the beer companies really think about you. Share Leitch's dread as he spends twenty—four hours watching ESPN. Sit and have a beer with John Rocker and his surprising girlfriend. Be inspired by Rick Ankiel's phoenixlike rise, and fall. With a voice strengthened by the success of Deadspin and its chorus of commenters, Leitch has written all—new material for God Save the Fan. If you or a fan you love is suffering from the sense of listless dissatisfaction brought on by the leagues and networks, this is your restorative tonic. Packed with lists, glossaries, confessions, and rages, Leitch's manifesto sings a rallying cry for fan empowerment. The games, after all, belong to us.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 five wrongs don't make a right May 19, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
An astute author, editor or publisher knows that while factual errors may mildly tarnish the credibility of a memoir, they can destroy the credibility of an expose'. Since none of these parties seem to be demonstrating said astuteness, here are five reasons why I will not be relying on Leitch to tell me what to think about players, owners or announcers:
1. He introduces the fourth chapter by referencing a February 2006 'Super Bowl' between the 'Steelers' and the 'Panthers'. I guess there could have been a Steelers-Panthers super bowl in one of his precious fantasy leagues, but the nationally televised football game in Detroit on February 6, 2006 had as its competitors the Pittsburgh Steelers and the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS.
2. I wonder what my relatives in Pittsburgh who spend every Saturday in October and November cleaning gutters and blowing leaves would have to say to Leitch after he claims that Western Pennsylvania is devoid of trees on page 39.
3. On page 93, his recitation of the popular "it turned blue" Coors Light commercial manages to list nearly every piece of the dialogue incorrectly (what's the matter internet stud, can't figure out YouTube?).
4. I wonder if Leitch's agent is going to call Patty Smyth and demand that she sign over all of her performance royalties for "The Warrior" to Pat Benatar (p. 116)? Boy wouldn't it be fun if McEnroe was on the other extension for that call!
5. On page 212, Leitch uses the possesive pronoun "his" in reference to Bonnie Bernstein. I guess he has only seen online caricatures of her, but if you've seen her in person, there is definitely no "his" about Bonnie.
I probably do more fact-checking for one of these reviews than this guy does for a 300 page book!
A book bashing Bud Selig, George Steinbrenner, Paul Tagliabue and the a------s Michael Eisner imposed on ESPN still sounds like great fun (it was why I was dumb enough to buy this one). Maybe another one will come along written by someone who puts seventeen bucks worth of effort into it.
 Blook May 18, 2008
I agree with the "blook" description from someone else. Starts off pretty well, but gradually loses steam. It's basically two hundred and whatever pages of bloggy-type opinion, much of it about TV doofi. In the end, who the hell cares about the life of Chris Berman?
 Poorly written.... May 7, 2008
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is a poorly written work. It is the "stereotypical work of a blogger" ranting without producing useful information and facts. He has a great premise but develops the argument poorly, sounding more like a surly former employee...or someone who ESPN failed to hire than a writer.
"You're with me, Leather!"[Two-and-a-half out of four stars] Sadly, Will's book is getting more true every day! April 26, 2008
A very good cover but the book loses much
steam as it goes, but timely nevertheless!
I give it two-and-a-half stars out of four.
So much for the ultra-liberal 'five-star'
amazon dot com rating scale. Anybody else
hear the "I'm with you, Leather" stories.
I heard them covering a Super Bowl several
years ago...
 Funny and accurate take on today's spoiled sports world April 16, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Will Leitch's book is a nice blend of laugh-out-loud satire, spoofs, and funny truth in the ridiculous, over-priced, ego-maniacal world of sports. The editor of the popular "Deadspin" blog is more than just funny, he's insightful.
I really don't read "Deadspin" very often, but the cover and title of this book -- not the blog -- was what drew me to it. I'm a huge sports fan, but I'm so tired of the overflow of cash and ego that if pro sports ended tomorrow, I wouldn't care. Sadly, Division I college sports now just mirrors professional sports, they're just less honest about the money. I'd wished Leitch would've addressed the greed of college sports, but what the heck, he lives in New York City, the worst college sports city in America. He's a pro guy ... though his take on interviewing a former University of Michigan basketball player was a complete riot.
Fans can be pretty dumb, too, as Leitch points out in his take on Barbaro. The article and hilarious drawing of the horse was very funny.
Some of Leitch's takes don't work -- does Scott Van Pelt's rejection of a date really need to be posted, is that news? Leitch found Van Pelt's phone message "humanizing." I found it boring. But Leitch is more often on target than not. And yeah, Chris Berman's "YWML" episode isn't news either, but if anyone needed to be a victim of "gotcha" journalism, it's Berman, who has become a caricature of himself. Yes, ESPN needed to be taken down a few notches and Leitch is just the guy to do it.
A quick and funny read, I hope Leitch has another book on the way. Will there be a fan revolution? Nah, fans are too emotional and gullible. If the NY Giants said tomorrow that end zone seats were $5,000 apiece, they'd get sold. Will ESPN's egos shrink? Are you kidding me?
Leitch is a little too much of a believer in the fan revolution and not a realist. I see no uprising from fans.
But hey, at least Leitch is trying, and having fun while doing it.
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