American Fan: Sports Mania and the Culture That Feeds It - Softcover

Dennis Perrin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380804778 ISBN 13: 9780380804771

Publisher: Harper Entertainment, 2001

Synopsis

There exists in America a peculiar, fascinating subculture. Its exotic rituals include withstanding subzero temperatures with an upper body clad only in brightly colored paint, shouting arcane statistics at talk-show broadcasters, adopting the graphic images of lucrative businesses in bursts of patriotic fervor, and finding a curious but tangible form of self-esteem in the spectacle of overgrown armored men banging each other into unconsciousness. Hello, sports fans, this is a book about you. In fact, about us!

For true fans, sports are close to religion, a substitute for politics, an outlet for the most violent tendencies, and an excuse to vent primal instincts--in other words, to act like the maniacs we are. But for the professional leagues and the megacorporations that exploit them, sports is a lot more important than any number of brew-soaked stadium seats. It's a serious business with rules you don't break and customers you don't serve, and it makes a small group of talented and/or connected people very, very, very rich, often at the expense of "home team" taxpayers who never hear the crack of a bat or the swish of a net.

In this scathing, passionate, hilarious book, Dennis Perrin, the acclaimed author of Mr. Mike, examines the species Sportus fannus from the point of view of a life-long member. But his love of America's great games does not blind him to their routine, often cynical misuse by a sports marketing establishment that goes to absurd lengths to glorify, even deify, professional athletes, just to sell a few more pairs of sneakers to awestruck fans at home.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Praise for Dennis Perrin's Mr. Mike

"Michael O'Donoghue was the most innovative satirist of his generation. Thankfully, this book forsakes the tabloid sensationalism of so many less show-business biographies, and honestly captures its subject and his unique creativity. I loved it." --- Chevy Chase

"Fascinating." --- The New York Times Book Review

"Laughter is a faculty that supposedly separates us from the beasts. But there is such a thing as a comedy animal, and Dennis Perrin has netted him with great aplomb. Humor, in the right hands, is no laughing matter." --- Christopher Hitchens

"Awfully entertaining...Perrin is savvy enough to give us large helpings of the man's work, both long-remembered sketches and never-performed gems." ---The Boston Phoenix

"A must-read for anyone interested in the history of comedy and satire in pop culture." --- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

About the Author:

Dennis Perrin has written about pop culture and politics for a variety of publications, including The Chicago Tribune, Spin, and Mother Jones, and has contributed to "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher." He has appeared on CNN, C-Span, CNBC, and NPR, and at many leading universities. His biography of Michael O'Donoghue, Mr. Mike, appeared in 1998. Mr. Perrin lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Entertainment
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0380804778
• ISBN 13: 9780380804771
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240