To summarize– Irreverant discussion of sports and life. Leitch begins with the epic story of how Michael Vick was busy infecting some woman with STDs and meanwhile seeking treatment and testing under the worst pseudonym ever, Ron Mexico. It’s all uphill from there. Leitch hates ESPN, and writes a wonderfully brain numbing column about watching 24 consecutive hours of ESPN programing. Like the documentary filmmaker in “Super Size Me”, the results he elicits are horrifying.
Most instruing to me, Leitch had an incredibly thoughtful chapter about the knee-jerk reaction against athletes who invoke God or Jesus Christ after some sporting triumph. I was never totally comfortable with this myself, but Leitch articulates the issue more clearly than anyone else I’ve read or heard from.
I enjoyed this book, and I like Leitch’s underlying purpose of proving that covering sports shouldn’t be reserved for the deigned credentialled few. And obviously, I dig blogs, so we’re coming from kind of the same place, in that not at all way. The writing was a bit uneven here, but it was consistently funny and amusing. Nice book, and I hope to continue reading Will’s musings.
Joe
Tags: 50 books in 2009, Deadspin, Ron Mexico, Will Leitch
