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Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America
Despite a global recession, Englishman Adam Goldstein felt 2008 was the perfect time to invest in his lifelong passion. So he sold his apartment and left his job and girlfriend in London for American football.
Goldstein’s goal was to achieve what no other fan of American football has to attend one live National Football League (NFL) game at every NFL stadium during the regular season, plus those played in London and Canada. He traveled more than sixty-five thousand miles to watch forty football games in eighteen weeks and to experience and understand the phenomenal appeal of that classic American pastime, the tailgate party.
He drove from stadium to stadium, tailgate to tailgate, sometimes eight hundred miles a day, digesting everything that American football could serve up. He met players and extreme fans alike and was party to surreal pregame rituals while absorbing the rich cultural differences of each part of the country.
During his football odyssey—a grueling yet rewarding quest—he compared sports traditions and fandom in the United Kingdom and the United States. Tailgate to Heaven is a humorous, moving, and inspiring story about how nothing closes a culture gap like love of a sport—and the camaraderie that comes with it.
Goldstein’s goal was to achieve what no other fan of American football has to attend one live National Football League (NFL) game at every NFL stadium during the regular season, plus those played in London and Canada. He traveled more than sixty-five thousand miles to watch forty football games in eighteen weeks and to experience and understand the phenomenal appeal of that classic American pastime, the tailgate party.
He drove from stadium to stadium, tailgate to tailgate, sometimes eight hundred miles a day, digesting everything that American football could serve up. He met players and extreme fans alike and was party to surreal pregame rituals while absorbing the rich cultural differences of each part of the country.
During his football odyssey—a grueling yet rewarding quest—he compared sports traditions and fandom in the United Kingdom and the United States. Tailgate to Heaven is a humorous, moving, and inspiring story about how nothing closes a culture gap like love of a sport—and the camaraderie that comes with it.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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About the author
Adam Goldstein
14 books5 followersAdam Goldstein wrote his first book at 16, and has written and edited a number since then. He is president emeritus of the MIT Debate Team, and the CTO of BookTour."
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 10, 2013
Being a huge NFL fan living in the UK you would think that a book about a guy from London that sells his flat to go to every NFL stadium in 1 season would be my idea of heaven. Unfortunately this book wasn't written for me, it appears to have been written for American readers that can't fathom why a guy from the UK would want to come over and do this.
This was a really frustrating read for me. I'm a self confessed Yankofile that thought this would be a great road trip book with loads of NFL thrown in for free, but as the author (or his editors) have written this for a US audience there was very little for me to get my teeth into. I wanted more details on the cities he was visiting yet the book (as the title indicates) focuses on the tailgating element of NFL fandom... which sounds like a lot of fun... when Goldstein makes it on time. He also continually describes UK 'soccer' fans as the stereotypical 80s hooligan. So when he meets a good natured american he writes 'this was a surprise, at Leyton Orient if a man with tattoos approached me it would be to start a fight!' (not a direct quote) I would imagine he hasn't been to a game in over 20 years if he still believes this to be the case. Also, the comparison of UK Soccer & US Football is irrelevant... yet it was made regularly (aka every second page).
I'm being rough on the author, but this is due to how much I thought I would love this. I was/am extremely envious of his trip but the book simply didn't give me what I wanted to hear about his trip. Even the games are summarized so briefly that by the end I know longer cared who won or lost... as he didn't. However, there are great stories in this and I learned loads about NFL that I didn't know before. I just wished I learned more I suppose.
This was a really frustrating read for me. I'm a self confessed Yankofile that thought this would be a great road trip book with loads of NFL thrown in for free, but as the author (or his editors) have written this for a US audience there was very little for me to get my teeth into. I wanted more details on the cities he was visiting yet the book (as the title indicates) focuses on the tailgating element of NFL fandom... which sounds like a lot of fun... when Goldstein makes it on time. He also continually describes UK 'soccer' fans as the stereotypical 80s hooligan. So when he meets a good natured american he writes 'this was a surprise, at Leyton Orient if a man with tattoos approached me it would be to start a fight!' (not a direct quote) I would imagine he hasn't been to a game in over 20 years if he still believes this to be the case. Also, the comparison of UK Soccer & US Football is irrelevant... yet it was made regularly (aka every second page).
I'm being rough on the author, but this is due to how much I thought I would love this. I was/am extremely envious of his trip but the book simply didn't give me what I wanted to hear about his trip. Even the games are summarized so briefly that by the end I know longer cared who won or lost... as he didn't. However, there are great stories in this and I learned loads about NFL that I didn't know before. I just wished I learned more I suppose.
May 19, 2021
A wonderful insight into more than just 'football'. The dedication and generosity of some fans is beyond belief in comparison to what would happen in the UK.
September 30, 2013
This was an affectionate and very enthusiastic review of the tailgating culture in the US and the author was clearly refreshingly open to the American approach to organised sports.
As a Brit who enjoys both soccer and American football, I could fully appreciate the manner with with the infectious passion of loyal NFL fans gets under your skin. I am lucky enough to attend at least three NFL games a year and can testify to exactly how different the atmosphere is to a Premier League match, although that is not to say that one is better than the other.
If I had a criticism it would be that I felt the author was rather too negative about soccer in England, painting a picture of intimidation and hooliganism which doesn't really exist anymore. I've been going to watch soccer for over thirty years and can state truthfully that the incidents of violence I have witnessed over that time have been very few and far between. The author mentions that he did feel threatened at one or two of the NFL games he attended and I think this goes to prove that there is always going to be a small minority of people who ruin the experience with their aggression but I do feel that the view of English soccer was unfairly depicted in some parts of the book.
The author did redeem himself somewhat at the end by re-evaluating his impression of soccer but I think it would be a shame if any Americans reading it got the misleading impression that soccer hooliganism is still prevalent in this country.
Other than this I did enjoy the book which was written with passion and warmth, not to mention some excellent description of the food available at the tailgate which made me very hungry!
As a Brit who enjoys both soccer and American football, I could fully appreciate the manner with with the infectious passion of loyal NFL fans gets under your skin. I am lucky enough to attend at least three NFL games a year and can testify to exactly how different the atmosphere is to a Premier League match, although that is not to say that one is better than the other.
If I had a criticism it would be that I felt the author was rather too negative about soccer in England, painting a picture of intimidation and hooliganism which doesn't really exist anymore. I've been going to watch soccer for over thirty years and can state truthfully that the incidents of violence I have witnessed over that time have been very few and far between. The author mentions that he did feel threatened at one or two of the NFL games he attended and I think this goes to prove that there is always going to be a small minority of people who ruin the experience with their aggression but I do feel that the view of English soccer was unfairly depicted in some parts of the book.
The author did redeem himself somewhat at the end by re-evaluating his impression of soccer but I think it would be a shame if any Americans reading it got the misleading impression that soccer hooliganism is still prevalent in this country.
Other than this I did enjoy the book which was written with passion and warmth, not to mention some excellent description of the food available at the tailgate which made me very hungry!
January 23, 2013
An Englishman who is obsessed with American Football sells his flat, leaves his job and travels to the USA to follow the game for a season. Tailgating is the strange American phenomenon of holding a party in the car park of a stadium before, during and after a match, often not even going into the ground to watch the game. The author meets and befriends many of these colourful characters. A book for sports fans only. Not having any knowledge of American Football I struggled with a lot of the terminology and names of players who meant nothing to me, but I will be passing it onto friends who like me have a general interest in sports.
February 1, 2013
Cool story about a British NFL fan that travels to all NFL stadiums in one season (which sounds cool but i can see at the end how it starts to be a grind). I was a little worried that I would not enjoy this as I am not a huge NFL fan, but the book is more about his experience with tailgating and the fans and the stadiums than it is describing the games. Definitely a good read and an interesting trip!
April 4, 2013
Great idea and something I would love to do, however I imagine the experience was far greater than Goldstein could put into words. The chapters were pretty rushed and the traveling far outweighed the actual content of the tailgating.
Never the less a good read for an NFL fan like myself.
Go Texans
Never the less a good read for an NFL fan like myself.
Go Texans
May 12, 2015
Cool Idea, ended up hating the Author.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews