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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 Used: $7.50
You Save: $17.45 (70%)
New (38) Used (27) from $7.50
Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 66550
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: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Dust Cover Missing. Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Green Earth Books. Read -> Recycle -> Reuse!
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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 24 more reviews...
 Funny but snarky September 5, 2008
This blogger will never be confused with the immortals of sports writing such as Jim Murray, Tex Maul or Ray Blount. He does exhibit the occasionally nicely turned phrase, that is when he's not to busy demonstrating the all knowingness that only a twenty-something can muster.
Hits the Spot, Leaves Wanting More July 4, 2008
Being a loyal Deadspin reader for a couple years now, I was excited to get a chance to sit down with Will Leitch's book God Save the Fan and delve through his insights into what is going wrong with sports today. Leitch is one of the new breed of writers who has started striking back against companies like ESPN that have turned parts of sports into a mindless cesspool of nonsense.
The book is broken down into sections that target the athletes, fans, owners and media in essay like chapters. The essays that were the best were the ones that really took aim at the media, and the ridiculous spectacle that they've turned sports into. The most biting commentary is saved for ESPN as he tears apart their operation giving a voice to the diehard sports fan who is so sick of the antics from the World Wide Leader. He even has sharp criticism for some of the worst owners in sports and what they've done to their fans over the years.
But for the power of those essays, there is a lot of needless fluff thrown in. Essays about finding a local bar to watch Cardinal games in New York at, as well as a long piece on his supporting of Rick Ankiel. While these might be interesting blog posts, they contrast with his other essays that take a more biting approach to the topic. These parts aren't necessarily bad, it's as a reader you want more written about the negative aspects of sports that Leitch targets so well. I was more fascinated in learning the tactics of ESPN and some dreadful owners than a narrative on his fandom.
Overall though, it's a good read for any sports fan tired of what sports has turned into. It's worth noting though that there are a lot of posts from Deadspin reproduced in the book, which means you aren't getting a ton of new content. As an avid Deadspin reader, it felt more like a trip down memory lane instead of something new. For non-Deadspin fans, it's a book you'll thoroughly enjoy and laugh out loud to.
I look forward to Leitch's future books and hope they are less about his history on the web and more on his thoughts of what the sports world has become (where he excels at explaining).
A Primer on a Notorious Blogger May 22, 2008
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
Will Leitch recently gained national fame through an appearance on (Bob) Costas Now and a failed debate on sports blogging with the boorish Buzz Bissinger.
And for fans who want a big helping of what Leitch delivers in the cyber-universe, this is a great venue. But where reading Leitch online - and in smaller doses - can be compelling, sidesplitting, or just plain fun, the style fails to translate well in book form.
But consider it a primer from a notorious blogger, where the journey may ultimately end up on his home turf.
 five wrongs don't make a right May 19, 2008
1 out of 4 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
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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?
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