Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back

Just a note, it's not a how to book. There's really not a lot of good coping advice here besides commiserating over how many other sports are plagued with the same problems.

Really interesting mix of sport problems from the fan perspective - you might need a translator for a few sport terms if you aren't well versed in the big three US sports (football, basketball, baseball) they touch on a few international issues like the Olympics and World Cups but a lot of it does focus on those big three sports specifically in the US. I had to have someone explain to me how these sport leagues control the # of teams vs the division sports I've played in in the past for example.

It took a really long time to finish this one but I was thoroughly enjoying it.
Apart from the chapter on tennis and Olympics, it mostly covered “American” sports and several arguments and information were very America focused. Not a critique but an observation. I wish they were able to tackle or mention some highly popular events that aligned with the chapter themes from other parts of the world. The sports discussed were also mostly American so I did feel a little alienated in parts but also learnt a lot of new things.

This book is thoroughly-researched and well-written. I consumed it as an audiobook and found myself bookmarking some really cool observations. Overall, the tone was positive and bits about the group psychology of sports were my favourite.