Masters of the Games: Essays and Stories on Sport

by Joseph Epstein

In this collection, his twenty-fifth book, Joseph Epstein departs from writing about literature and culture to indulge his fondness for the world of sport in all its forms. In these essays and stories on such subjects as saving Joe DiMaggio’s reputation from the clutches of an iconoclastic biographer, marveling at the skills of Michael Jordan, shaking free of an addiction to radio sports talk shows, or contemplating the changing nature of the games he grew up with and played as a boy, Epstein turns writing about sports into an art at once penetrating and highly amusing.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Essays

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2014

About the author

Joseph Epstein is the author of, among other books, Snobbery, Friendship, and Fabulous Small Jews. He has been editor of American Scholar and has written for the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Commentary, Town and Country, and other magazines.

Reviews

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Epstein writes it, you should read it. End of story. Here he proves that an intellectual can be a sports fan (Or is that a sports fan can be an intellectual? Not sure; probably the former). The book is Chicago-centric, which somewhat interested me, but regardless of the subject, reading the essays is worth your while. Interesting that at the end of the day, Epstein's favorite 2 sports to watch are baseball and golf, which are my 2 as well. He also prefers watching with the sound off, which I do too except for the fact that I prefer it TOO much and end up getting distracted by other things.

Epstein has a way of writing a book review that is also an essay, such as on the infamous Cramer biography of Joe DiMaggio. This essay alone is worth picking up this book. He doesn't so much defend DiMaggio as point out the worthlessness of Cramer.

[Annabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlikely as it may seem, since he is, after all, one of my favorite writers, both for short fiction and essays--but a Joseph Epstein book had actually been languishing in my bookshelf for almost 5 years now, unread. And only because it was a book on sports.* Baseball, tennis, basketball, football, and of late, hockey--Mr Epstein is big on spectator sports. And of the numerous essays I've read by him, it was his pieces on sports which I enjoyed the least, mainly because I have little interest in the trivia and statistical ephemera he dispenses, albeit always in his typical literary, but jaunty manner, as befitting his subject. Then again, this is a writer who can make his his sentiments, nostalgia, and "opinionations," mirror my own, so when I finally decided to give this a go, he had me from the get-go. It helps that the book is divvied up into essays, "opinionations," and stories--which was my favorite portion, never mind if I had already read all three stories before. He also did some sketches on four athletes, categorized under jocks. Among the pieces here, I especially admired his even-handed sketch on Joe DiMaggio, and his sardonic, seemingly effortless takedown of the slugger's biographer, one sanctimonious Richard Ben Cramer--that was priceless. And I think I have always felt the same way he does about adult supervision/intervention in what are basically just games--spoiling it for the kids when he wrote Leave the Kids Alone. Pleasure deferred for five years is not pleasure denied. Joseph Epstein, I should have known you would not disappoint.

* I am generally apathetic to sports. But my husband is a huge football (as any football fanatic's wife knows, to call it soccer would be a sacrilege) fan. And while I know the US hasn't fully caught on to the world's most popular sport (yet--that may still change, Beckham being a Californian now), it would have been nice if Mr Epstein had delved on the "beautiful game" and the culture of fanaticism it breeds.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of essays of either his time watching a sport or an athlete like Jordan, or commenting on someone else’s work about another athlete. For me I could not get into this book and though I put it down a few times and went back to it, it still did not work for me. not saying it won’t work for others. I got this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 3 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no interest in sports, but I read this book because I like the author's prose style.

I prefer his essays to his fiction so read only one of the three stories in the book.

[Allen Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.themaineedge.com/sports/a-...

There has long been an overlap between the world of sport and the literary realm – the names in the center of that Venn diagram include luminaries such as George Plimpton, George F. Will, Hunter S. Thompson and David Foster Wallace (among many others). There are multitudes of gifted writers whose love of sport is well-documented. The words can be downright compelling when these men and women bring their considerable talents into the land of athletic storytelling.

So it is with noted author Joseph Epstein, whose 25th book is “Masters of the Games”, a collection of essays and other writings concerning his lifelong love affair with sports. Epstein is well-known, well-regarded and remarkably prolific, yet despite an affection for sports that dates back to his Chicago childhood, this is his first book on the subject.

Consider it worth the wait.

This collection contains a wide assortment of nonfiction pieces both long and short. Some offer looks at individual athletes, either through his own analysis or via reviews of books by other writers; Hank Greenberg, Joe DiMaggio and Michael Jordan all make for interesting subjects, though perhaps the best athlete-focused piece is the one featuring 1970s Bulls star Bob Love. There are also essays that discuss at length Epstein’s long-standing (and generally masochistic) fandom of all Chicago sports teams. His understanding of the nature of his fandom offers a reflection of our own sporting interests.

But it’s when Epstein personalizes that he’s at his most engaging. Stories about his boyhood predilection for sports and his self-recognized desire for style as opposed to substance on the playing field paint a wonderful portrait of the youthful sports fan of an era bygone. He waxes nostalgic about the sportswriting – novels, newspapers and magazines alike – that captured his attention as a boy. And he’s phenomenal when he offers his thoughts on the inherent irrationality of being a sports fan – particularly as the times have changed.

Square in the book’s middle, you’ll find three fiction pieces. All three short stories are skillful, though one – “The Goldin Boys,” about a doctor looking back on his time as boyhood friend to a pair of twin athletic standouts – outshines the other two.

Put it all together and it makes for a remarkable collection of one man’s legacy of fandom.

The book is not without its issues, however. The pieces assembled here are drawn from a long career; the wide-ranging time span of their respective first appearances does mean that there is occasional overlap – the odd anecdote or turn of phrase springing up in multiple places. More often than not, the shift in perspective with the passage of time gives these repetitions renewed relevance. It’s a minor criticism – if indeed it is a criticism at all – but it’s worth noting.

“Masters of the Games” is a book that will draw in the sports fan, with an understanding of the highs and lows that come with loving a game or a team. Joseph Epstein confesses to thousands of hours spent watching other people play games; despite his better judgment, he seems to have no regrets.

Except maybe the Cubs.

[Pete Wung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph Epstein is one of the foremost living practitioner of the art of essay writing in our English world today. His choice of subject is eclectic, ranging from the serious to the whimsical. So it is with some trepidation that I approach reading this book, because a serious essay writer coming down from Mount Olympus to regale us with him impressions and thoughts on the quite different realm of sports is somewhat surprising. I also did not want to lose my image of Joseph Epstein, erudite essayist and serious minded commentator. My fears were that he would not be able to translate his facility with the English language onto the subject of sports. or worse, I feared that his nimble mind was not able to grasp the simplicity and beauty of sports.

I need not have worried. Not only is Mr. Epstein quite adept at the sports genre, he is quite impressively, an erudite and opinionated observer and fan of the sporting world.

The book itself is a series of essays written throughout the years, mostly having to do with his beloved hometown of Chicago and their sports teams. If one knows anything about Chicago sports, one knows that the fortunes of those teams varies widely, the average Chicago sports fan of course are on a vertiginous roller coaster ride of emotions. From the depth of despair that is the Cubs to the ascendancy of the Blackhawks and the Bulls. Mr. Epstein travels the same tracks as the average Chicago fan, but he expresses his opinions and observes the foibles of sports with such clarity and expressiveness that it seems to this reader that I am re-examining the events with fresh eyes, even though we are treading old grounds.

The chapters helpfully delineates the general flow the topics: Essays, Jocks, Stories, Short Takes, Opinionations, and Summing up. It serves somewhat effectively to guide the reader to the essays that he desires to read. Collections like these fairly screams for the reader to pick and choose through the selection as the mood strikes him. The pleasure comes partially from the work the reader has to do to decipher the topic through the titles.

In general, Mr. Epstein did a magnificent job in presenting his viewpoint, as only a master of the art are wont to do. Though I did not fully agree with all of his arguments, his viewpoints did cause me to deliciously ruminate and digest his thoughts, which is what a book of essays should do: make the reader think.

One thing that struck this reader is the magical conciseness and precision that Mr. Epstein was able to effect in these essays. not a wasted word or thought was offered in his writing, every word offered was necessary and sufficient.

In short, it was a pleasure to read this book, I highly recommend it. In fact, I wish the usual suspects who call themselves sports writers would study this book as a primer on efficient and effective use of the English language as applied to sports.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Twas pure pleasure to read the excellent essays and short stories of Joseph Epstein. Sure, there were, as there always are, at least a select few disappointments for me, such as Epstein's deflated essay on His Airness, the incomparable and legendary greatness of Michael Jordan. In addition, film critic Gene Siskel's back-to-back appearances, albeit anecdotal and redundant, in short, a somewhat weak second serve, still stand out, slowly sinking, into the shifting sand. However, overall, the master literary craftsman manages the ebb and flow of his short and long game well enough and maintains a flying high standard of entertainment and erudition with his whimsical if not typically sardonic, self-deprecating style and an American scholar's inter-disciplined approach at the plate. Here and there, criticisms and witticisms hit their mark. As if he were Joe the baseball classic hero, Epstein steps up as a big-time enthusiast and gamer and makes for an acute if not opinionated color commentator and rather humorous observer of human behavior and nature in the spectral realm of sports history--thanks to his uncanny court vision and his own obsessive-compulsive fanaticism when it comes to enjoying watching sports and its addictive offering of a new Olympic pantheon of multiple personalities and pleasures.

Allow me to mention a few fan favorites: "A Boy's Favorite Author," "The Thrill of Defeat," "Open Another Can of Quarterback," "The Old Ball Game," "Wrigley Field," and "Joe DiMaggio: Where'd He Go?" Wait, an obscure if not odd couple more: "Hank Greenberg: Designated Mensch" and "Bob Love: The Unknown Superstar."

[Al · Rating 2 out of 5]

Joseph Epstein is best known for writing erudite, witty, self-deprecating and highly readable essays of a type known as familiar essays. For years he wrote them as editor of The American Scholar, the magazine of Phi Beta Kappa. After he was outrageously fired from that magazine (which has never been the same, by the way) for his political views, he continued to write and publish in other places, including a string of collections published in book form. In my opinion, he is a national treasure, and everyone should read, enjoy, and be enlightened by his work.
So it was with some excitement that I learned Mr. Epstein has published a book of essays and stories on sports, for goodness sake. Talk about a daily double. To my surprise and disappointment, however, MOTG is thin gruel. Mr. Epstein can't help being entertaining, and one can only agree with most of his judgments--particularly about the decline of civility, modesty and professionalism in nearly all sports--but his main points do not a book make. Unfortunately, MOTG looks like a collection of things written over the years, most of which are quite derivative, and there is so much repetition in the collection that one wishes the pieces had been edited or, better yet, rewritten. Sadly, I cannot recommend this book, but I do highly recommend any other collection of his essay you can find. You have to like someone who can say: "Surely one of the great negative pleasures is never to be in the same room with Dick Vitale. 'Awesome, baby,' as Vitale himself might say, 'with a capital A.'"

[Schuyler Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally Joseph Epstein has taken his immense talent and intelligence and directed them to writing something I understand: Sports. In “Masters of the Game,” Epstein has departed from topics such as the lives of writers, snobbery, ambition, de Tocqueville, and literary education to direct a book of essays at sports, its luminaries, and the happiness of being a spectator. Ah, the joy.

I have had occasion to admire Epstein’s works, especially those I understand. He is a most intelligent and prolific writer, occasionally controversial, but mentally superior to many writers out there and a marvelous voice on behalf of those who toil at games and those who admire the struggle.

In this, his twenty fifth book, he explains that sports is a noble outlet for “violent emotions, regaining adolescence, discovering metaphysical truths”…explaining why television sets glow all night and monstrous stadiums explode with lights and noise all over the world. And he reminds us of those who play or have played the game, the likes of Thorp, Cobb, Dempsey, and modern idols such as DiMaggio, Jordan, and Ted Williams. He has intelligent musings on gambling, Jewish athletes, performance enhancement, the effects of money, and even juggling.

His erudite introduction is a precursor of the intensity and attraction of the book. I can’t think of another writer who has as much insight and important things to say about sports. It’s an extremely intelligent commentary that will leave the reader with a highly inflated IQ. Sports aficionados won’t want to miss this one.

[CJ Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A high three stars. Epstein is an engaging and humorous writer and a long-time sports fan with a strong interest in the ethical aspect of sports, as well as an appreciation for athletic greatness. As a collection, some repetition becomes evident, as we regularly learn that the author was good, but not great, at many sports. It was a bit startling to have made peace with the author's recurrent fascination with athletes of Jewish heritage, only to then find him lamenting that certain authors focused on the fact that other athletes were black. "Just focus on them as athletes, period." Was Epstein's advice to these writers, advice that he himself most certainly had not taken.

The plus side to the collection was watching Epstein's trajectory from enthusiastic young fan to disillusioned middle-aged cynic to resignedly addicted old couch potato. From "Sports are great!" to "Sports are fake." to "I'm in too deep to quit watching."

I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for a review.

[Madison Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book a 4.5. I only maybe 5 to 6 of the stories since I was only interested in those players or stories. The book was written well with clear information, but at points, I could see how it could tell the reader more about the sport. Otherwise, it was a good, solid nonfiction book.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

another fine entrant in the "old man yells at cloud" genre; the extra star is for the only excellent essay here, the one on John R. Tunis