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The Proving Ground: A Season on the Fringe in NFL Europe
Life in the minor leagues of football, which NFL Europe has been aptly dubbed, can be funny, sad, profound and ludicrous all at the same time. At its heart, this six-team league is a short-stop away from either the glamour of the NFL or the bottom of the professional football scrap pile--a crossroads full of real-life drama where the joy of "making it" can be tempered by failure or injury with one misstep; where the difference between a multimillion dollar NFL contract and abject poverty may only be one play away. Just ask Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner.
Author Lars Anderson brings to life the compelling drama of NFL Europe by spending a season with the Scottish Claymores. Anderson lives with the players at a hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, spending every waking minute with them-eating and heading out to the pubs as the Claymores make their championship run. Along with detailing the life and times of the Claymores, Anderson digs deep into the background of the players and coaches to help explain why some succeed and others fail in their quest to make it to that shining city on the hill--the NFL.
Through the eyes of Anderson, the reader experiences what it means and what it's like to be a football player in Europe. The men that make up the Claymores are the strength of this book-a funny and complex lot that face many of the same issues we tackle every day. An inspiring portrait of both new beginnings and bitter ends, The Proving Ground will shock and delight readers, while showing them another side of the professional football player.
Of The Proving Ground , Frank Deford, award-winning author and commentator, says "Anderson deftly shows that you can take the football player out of America, but... he's the same creature, loving the game and scrambling for one more chance."
Author Lars Anderson brings to life the compelling drama of NFL Europe by spending a season with the Scottish Claymores. Anderson lives with the players at a hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, spending every waking minute with them-eating and heading out to the pubs as the Claymores make their championship run. Along with detailing the life and times of the Claymores, Anderson digs deep into the background of the players and coaches to help explain why some succeed and others fail in their quest to make it to that shining city on the hill--the NFL.
Through the eyes of Anderson, the reader experiences what it means and what it's like to be a football player in Europe. The men that make up the Claymores are the strength of this book-a funny and complex lot that face many of the same issues we tackle every day. An inspiring portrait of both new beginnings and bitter ends, The Proving Ground will shock and delight readers, while showing them another side of the professional football player.
Of The Proving Ground , Frank Deford, award-winning author and commentator, says "Anderson deftly shows that you can take the football player out of America, but... he's the same creature, loving the game and scrambling for one more chance."
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2001
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December 13, 2015
This was a very interesting book. It covers the 2000 NFL Europe season with the Scottish Claymore. It is presented in a chronological order, with the odd chapter of history thrown in.
I was always a fan of NFL Europe and a fan of the CFL, this some of the names in the book seemed more familiar to me than fans of the NFL. I thought it was interesting to read about long time CFL QB Marcus Crandell, before he came to Canada.
The book balances between the on field and off field stories. Largely, this book stays above board and doesn't make anyone out to be a bad person. Some of these behind the scenes books end up trying to dig up dirt instead of being a honest portrayal of the team. This book does not do that and that is a huge compliment to the author. As well some of these books try and be the author's opinions instead of the story being laid out for the reader to judge. This book avoids this, it written as a fly on the wall instead of the author being a character unto himself.
This book is so interesting, it left me wanting the author to write a second volume either following the players in the 2001 season or the Scottish Claymore next season. If I recall correctly, the 2001 season was the last for the Claymores. It would make an interesting compendium to this book. As this book is 15 years old that won't happen, but it does leave me wanting more. The interesting thing is that a large part of this team formed the XFL. It makes me want to find a book about the XFL to read.
Overall, if you are a football or even just a sports fan, this book is for you. It is a great story about life in football's minor leagues. Those leagues are few and far between, so this is a book in a category by itself.
I was always a fan of NFL Europe and a fan of the CFL, this some of the names in the book seemed more familiar to me than fans of the NFL. I thought it was interesting to read about long time CFL QB Marcus Crandell, before he came to Canada.
The book balances between the on field and off field stories. Largely, this book stays above board and doesn't make anyone out to be a bad person. Some of these behind the scenes books end up trying to dig up dirt instead of being a honest portrayal of the team. This book does not do that and that is a huge compliment to the author. As well some of these books try and be the author's opinions instead of the story being laid out for the reader to judge. This book avoids this, it written as a fly on the wall instead of the author being a character unto himself.
This book is so interesting, it left me wanting the author to write a second volume either following the players in the 2001 season or the Scottish Claymore next season. If I recall correctly, the 2001 season was the last for the Claymores. It would make an interesting compendium to this book. As this book is 15 years old that won't happen, but it does leave me wanting more. The interesting thing is that a large part of this team formed the XFL. It makes me want to find a book about the XFL to read.
Overall, if you are a football or even just a sports fan, this book is for you. It is a great story about life in football's minor leagues. Those leagues are few and far between, so this is a book in a category by itself.
Displaying 1 of 1 review