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Football books: from the Seattle Seahawks to Nick Saban

Here are some of the best titles to check out as the season begins.

3. 'Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto,' by Steve Almond

  • By Ross Atkin

After more than four decades as a football fan, the author explains why he now can no longer watch the game with a clear conscience. 

“Most fans turn to football for idealistic reasons. We love being immersed in its gallant meritocracy. We want to believe the game is played primarily for honor, not money. But, as the game has morphed from a ragged outlier into a corporate juggernaut, we’ve evolved as fans, too. Think about how much time we spend these days obsessing over the economics of the game. Hardcore fans think as much about salary cap hits as corner blitzes. We crunch numbers and debate player valuation and second-guess every move management makes.

“Is it any wonder fantasy football leagues have become so popular? The fantasy, after all, is one of ownership, of competing to see who can best manage human capital. I spent two years in such a league. After a while I didn’t care which teams won anymore. I just wanted to score more points than everyone else. I was rooting for my own acumen."

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

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