Klosterman on Football

[volinexile17]

"Eating the Dinosaur" breaks down the game of football - ESPN

Interesting excerpt:

"I could list these types of guys ad nauseam. I could include everyone from Sid Gillman8 to Emory Bellard9 to Don Coryell10. But the size of the list doesn't matter; what matters is how these men were all criticized in the same way. Whenever an innovation fails to result in a title, its unorthodoxy takes the hit; every time a football coach tries something unorthodox, he is blasted for not playing "the right way." But all that "not playing the right way" means is that a coach is ignoring the eternal lie of football: the myth that everything done in the past is better than anything that could be invented in the present. As a result, the public arm of football -- the conservative arm -- bashes innovation immediately, even while adopting the principles it attacks11. The innovators are ridiculed. And that kind of reaction is reassuring to fans, because it makes us feel like football is still the same game we always want to remember. It has a continuity of purpose. It symbolizes the same ideals and appeals to the same kind of person. It feels conservative, but it acts liberal. Everything changes, but not really."

Reminded me of how often people call Auburn, Oregon, etc. offense "gimmicky."

 

[UTRavens]

That. was. spot. on. I always hear people complaining about people only caring about the present and the past is being forgotten. But I honestly hear far more of the opposite from old fans and even educated younger fans.

Also, that since they weren't being paid millions, old timers played for the "love of the game." Yeah, until they left in their primes for a job in the business sector.

 

[BigOrange15]

It shouldn't matter what you run, if it helps you win, run it. This whole "gimmicky offense=inferior offense" crap is stupid.

 

[therealUT]

Chuck Klosterman is a fantastic writer. Recommend Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs as a starter. Eating the Dinosaur was better, IMO, than IV. Klosterman also inserts interesting questions and or micro-stories between chapters/essays. Here is one from ETD:

The best response for being arrested for carrying an unlicensed handgun into a nightclub and accidentally shooting yourself in the leg, thereby jeopardizing your pro football career.

First of all, you probably don't know anyone who's been shot. I, however, know lots of people who've been shot. In fact, I know lots of people who claim they want to shoot me, and some of these people are technically my friends. So that's why I carry a gun. Second, you people probably trust the government, and you probably trust it because your personal experience with law enforcement has been positive. I've had the opposite experience all my life. I'm afraid of the government. I'm afraid of the world, and you can't give me one valid reason why I shouldn't be. So that's why I did not apply for a gun license. Third, I shot myself in the leg, which is both painful and humiliating. What else do I need to go through in order to satiate your desire to see me chastised? The penalty for carrying an unlicensed weapon is insane. How can carrying an unlicensed firearm be worse than firing a licensed one? I broke the law but the law I broke is a bad law. Would you be satisfied if the penalty for unlawful gun possession was getting shot in the leg? Because that already ****ing happened!

Eating the Dinosaur

 

[volinexile17]

Chuck Klosterman is a fantastic writer. Recommend Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs as a starter. Eating the Dinosaur was better, IMO, than IV. Klosterman also inserts interesting questions and or micro-stories between chapters/essays. Here is one from ETD:

Really liked Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs. I came across this essay in Eating the Dino, and figured I could find it somewhere on the web so I could post it.

 

[StoVol]

excellent stuff... thanks

 

[crusse10]

huh...I started reading SDaCP years ago, but for some reason I never finished it. Really liked what I read, though.