Tribal: College Football and the Secret Heart of America
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Part introspective soul searching, part cultural analysis, Tribal tackles the controversies plaguing college athletics, tracing the dubious historical underpinnings of Americans’ most popular sport, offering a visceral and often funny analysis of its tribal thrills and deep contradictions.
Florida State’s football team is always in the headlines, producing Heisman Trophy candidates, winning championships, and, at the same time, dealing with federal investigations into corruption and rape. Same as many big time collegiate sports programs. Seems no matter how the team transgresses off the field, if they excel on the field, everyone forgives them. Writer, professor and conflicted Seminole Diane Roberts looks at the problems plaguing her campus in Tallahassee, examining them within the context of college football itself and its significance in American life, and explores how the game shapes our culture.
Diane Roberts
Diane Roberts is a contributor to NPR, the Guardian, and the Oxford American, among many other publications. She is the author of three books, and her work has been anthologized in Best American Essays and Best American Food Writing. She holds a PhD from Oxford University and teaches literature and creative writing at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
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Reviews for Tribal
7 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I finished this book last night while watching college football. Like the author, I am a smart, reasonably well-cultivated and sophisticated woman, and I freely admit my love for college football (and pro football and hockey and baseball and basketball.....) while acknowledging the many and varied issues with the whole system. A non-fan will not understand, and I get that. Just don't look down your nose at me, thankyouverymuch.Roberts takes on all aspects of the world of college football - player safety, race and gender issues, conduct, academics, the NCAA, boosters, etc. Most of her examples and anecdotes come from major programs in the South, especially the SEC, and it makes for fascinating reading, as it's a region where a lot of the most problematic questions about race and gender bubble up even outside the world of football.I learned a lot from this book, had my disgust with the NCAA re-affirmed, watched the games yesterday with a new perspective, and still found myself practically bouncing up and down during the excellent Texas A&M-UCLA game, so excited to have football back.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
I'm not a huge football fan, but I read this for a Florida book chat. The book focuses mostly on southern college football, with an emphasis on Florida, but there is mention of many other teams and incidents. It was worthwhile to read it, yet I finished feeling disturbed by the corruption in college football that I had only been tangentially aware of before reading this book. I was astounded to learn how many star football players have allegedly committed immoral acts and crimes to have them overlooked and forgiven by coaches, college presidents, police departments, and sometimes even victims. The fan bases and alumni support for winning college teams are discussed in detail, and the whole culture of the big game left me dumbfounded.
Diane Roberts makes some astounding analogies about southern football and the NCAA. I laughed out loud when she compared some prominent football "families" to ancient Roman rulers, British dynasties, the Vatican, and other esteemed institutions. This author understands college football’s role, both historically and in our present times, and she is both fan and critic.