American Fan: Sports Mania and the Culture That Feeds It

by Dennis Perrin

A funny, often caustic look at sports in America explores the religious fervor many fans devote to their team, deconstructing related issues of social violence and selfesteem. Original.

Genres: Sports

230 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Bryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book several years ago from one of the bargain tables at Borders Books (remember them?) and finally decided to read it.

My one word review would be: meh.

Aside from the section about Nike/Michael Jordan towards the end of the book I found most of the sections a disorganized collection that bounces from thought to thought. Combine this with the attempted humor that isn’t all that funny and your left with an unimpressive work that is destined to be heading to a used book sale instead of back on display on the bookshelf.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a lot of "sport fan" books recently and probably because of that, a lot of the author's main points felt redundant. I'm also not sold on the organization of the book. Yes, all chapters dealt with sports, but there really didn't seem to be an overall theme (meaning the chapters probably could have been randomly ordered and the reader may not have noticed). The author rails against sport celebrities like Jim Rome and others, but in my opinion engages in similarly outlandish behavior (claiming that cheeseheads are the result of Packers fans inbreeding). Although this and other passages like it were most likely attempts at humor, wasn't overly impressed. The author did express thought provoking comments, but not in a manner that distinguished himself (positively) from others who have written on the topic.