From Publishers Weekly
Little boys fantasize about being NFL players, but grown men fantasize about owning them—drafting them, trading them and arranging them in starting lineups that compete against other "teams" based on the players' performances in real games. St. Amant quit his advertising job to pursue a fantasy football league championship and pen this boisterous celebration of the burgeoning pastime. He mixes hyperbolic commentary on his own travails with a recap of the hobby's origins, conversations with aficionados and pointers for neophytes. He depicts fantasy football as fandom on steroids; by placing the traditions of sifting stats, critiquing players and kibitzing strategies in a formal competitive setting, the essentially passive experience of watching football gains an imaginary dimension of control and mastery. In fact, watching becomes as grueling as playing ("My stomach feels as if it's been stopping cannonballs," St. Amant groans after one Sunday in front of the tube). The author writes like the life of the locker-room party, dishing out sarcastic trash talk and assaultive anal sex banter, but undercutting his macho bluster with self-deprecation. It's a fitting, if sometimes overbearing, tone. St. Amant's obsessiveness lacks critical perspective, but those who share his addiction will find his voice authentic.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Booklist
Fantasy football is a game in which the actual statistics (touchdowns, yard passing, etc.) of real NFL players, who have been selected by fantasy team "owners," are used to create a score. The score is then matched up against another fantasy team's accumulation of points to determine a winner. It can become a consuming passion, as it has for the author, a former advertising copywriter who gave up his job to pursue his hobby and the writing of this book. Readers get three narrative threads for the price of one. There is St. Amant's personal story, in which he convinces his wife that quitting his job to play fantasy football and write a book would be a good thing. There's a history of fantasy football, which began in the early 1960s as a sideline among a few pro-football beat writers and gradually developed into today's Internet phenomenon. Lastly, there is advice on league formats, drafting strategies, and trade etiquette. An informative, engagingly written, and very funny guide to an often-misunderstood area of sports fanaticism. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
