Synopses & Reviews
When millions of smart, young sports fans need their daily fix, they turn to the massively popular blog Deadspin and its ringmaster, Will Leitch. Covering the sports world with the same biting, irreverent tone with which The Daily Show covers Washington, Leitch has quickly become the Jon Stewart of the sports world. He operates Deadspin "without access, favor, or discretion," meaning no sacred cows – no players or public–relations people who might make his life miserable if he posts a photo of, say, a quarterback at a kegger the night before a big game.
Now, in this scathing and hilarious manifesto, Leitch serves as the mouthpiece for countless frustrated fans who are desperate to wrest their games away from the control of big money, unquenchable egos, and sportscasters (he's looking at you, ESPN) who endlessly recycle "hip and clever" catch phrases that have long since passed their expiration date.
In GOD SAVE THE FAN, Leitch employs his trademark engaging, accessible voice to explore a range of topics, including the ridiculousness of fantasy leagues and yellow bracelets,why the debate about steroids is ultimately meaningless, and the aching permanance of loving just one sports team.
Filled with lists, glossaries, invented halls of fame, and much more, this rallying cry is about one thing: fan empowerment. And no one is better positioned than Will Leitch to puncture today's out of control jockocracy and offer a blueprint for how to put the fun back into our games.
Review
“The funniest sports book I have ever read. Yeah, as a member of the mainstream media I should probably despise Will Leitch. But God Saves the Fan is an uproarious, painful, pointed, skittish manifesto on all thats warped in the world of Lucious Pusey.” Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of The Bad Guys Won!
Review
“Leitch balances potent humor with sharp and sometimes vicious insight without lapsing into clichés. He manages to be an astute sports critic while maintaining his enthusiasm as a fan, making his book an entertaining and enlightening read for anyone who roots for the home team a little too hard.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“If you cant find something to laugh at and be offended by on the same page of this book, you arent reading carefully enough.” Washington Post Book World
Review
“If the truth is to be found in humor - and it is - then let Will Leitch lead our peoples revolution. Hes everything thats right and funny and true in American sports.” Jeff MacGregor, Sports Illustrated special contributor and author of Sunday Money
Review
“R-rated, spectacularly irreverent, often mean and just as often piercingly insightful” Newsday
Review
“A witty poke in the eye to the entire sports-industrial complex...A fanfare for the common fan and, if youre stuck in the cheap seats, easier to read than a website.” Sports Illustrated
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
Will Leitch, founding editor of Deadspin.com, is a contributing editor and columnist for New York magazine. He has also written for the New York Times, GQ, Fast Company, Slate, Salon, and Playboy, and is the author of Catch, a novel, and Life as a Loser, a book of essays. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.