Synopses & Reviews
In this compellingly argued and deeply personal book, respected sports historian Michael Oriard--who was himself a former second-team All-American at Notre Dame--explores a wide range of trends that have changed the face of big-time college football and transformed the role of the student-athlete.
Oriard considers such issues as the politicization of football in the 1960s and the implications of the integration of college football. The heart of the book examines a handful of decisions by the NCAA in the early seventies--to make freshmen eligible to play, to lower admission standards, and, most critically, to replace four-year athletic scholarships with one-year renewable scholarships--that helped transform student-athletes into athlete-students and turned the college game into a virtual farm league for professional football.
Oriard then traces the subsequent history of the sport as it has tried to grapple with the fundamental contradiction of college football as both extracurricular activity and multi-billion-dollar mass entertainment. The relentless necessity to pursue revenue, Oriard argues, undermines attempts to maintain academic standards, and it fosters a football culture in which athletes are both excessively entitled and exploited.
As a former college football player, Oriard brings a unique perspective to his topic, and his sympathies are always with the players and for the game. This original and compelling study will interest everyone concerned about the future of college football.
Review
"Should appeal to the general reader. . . . [A] well-written book."
-Enterprise and Society
Review
"A solid resource for those interested in the culture of sport. . . . Highly recommended."
-Choice
Review
"Oriard provides an overwhelmingly positive contribution to the growing field of sport history with this work... leav[ing] the reader pondering whether or not college football will survive its current crises or if major changes may be on the horizon."
-Northwest Ohio History
Review
"A gripping and insightful exploration of many of the issues that have affected big-time football programs in the sixties, seventies, and beyond."
-Nebraska History
Review
"The most thorough, balanced, and eviscerating examination of contemporary big-time college athletics to date. . . . Oriard has cemented his position as the definitive interpreter of football in American culture."
-Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
Review
"Oriard writes with considerable grace and offers a realistic interpretation of the evolution of college football over the last half-century. . . . Original and effective. . . . An immensely interesting and important study of college football."
-Journal of the Review of Politics
Review
"A solid work that will certainly contribute to the dialogue of sports history and the management of college football. It is well-written, persuasively argued, and, above all, deeply insightful....[The] book can effectively contribute to two audiences: scholars and general readers."
-Florida Historical Quarterly
Review
"An impressive and realist assessment of college football's recent history."
-Journal of American Studies
Synopsis
Former college and professional football player Oriard explores a wide range of trends that have changed the face of college football and transformed the role of the student-athlete. He gives close attention to decisions by the NCAA in the early 1970s that helped transform student-athletes into athlete-students and turned the college game into a virtual farm league for professional football. The relentless necessity to pursue revenue, he argues, undermines attempts to maintain academic standards, and it fosters a football culture in which athletes are both excessively entitled and exploited.
Synopsis
"Oriard provides an overwhelmingly positive contribution to the growing field of sport history with this work… leav[ing] the reader pondering whether or not college football will survive its current crises or if major changes may be on the horizon."
-Northwest Ohio History "A gripping and insightful exploration of many of the issues that have affected big-time football programs in the sixties, seventies, and beyond."
-Nebraska History "The most thorough, balanced, and eviscerating examination of contemporary big-time college athletics to date. . . . Oriard has cemented his position as the definitive interpreter of football in American culture."
-Register of the Kentucky Historical Society "A solid resource for those interested in the culture of sport. . . . Highly recommended."
-Choice "Oriard writes with considerable grace and offers a realistic interpretation of the evolution of college football over the last half-century. . . . Original and effective. . . . An immensely interesting and important study of college football."
-Journal of the Review of Politics
"Should appeal to the general reader. . . . [A] well-written book."
-Enterprise and Society
About the Author
Michael Oriard is Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University. He was offensive captain and a second-team All-American at the University of Notre Dame and played four years with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is the author of six previous books on sports in American literature and culture, including Brand NFL: Making and Selling America's Favorite Sport (UNC Press).