What do you think?
Rate this book
The Game's Not Over: In Defense of Football
Is there anything more universally American than NFL football? Love of the NFL runs deep and broad. It is a primetime TV event on multiple national networks, subsidized by public funds and popular from Mount Rainier to Miami Beach. The 2015 Super Bowl, a thriller between the Patriots and Seahawks, was the most-watched program in the history of television, with more than a third of the country watching. Yet football is in trouble. Public anxiety over football spiked in 2014 during the heat of the Ray Rice domestic violence scandal, the ongoing concussion crisis and the league's appropriations of tax money for its own ends. The mounting problems have led some to question the ethics of watching America's beloved game. In this sharply argued, witty, observant book, Gregg Easterbrook makes a spirited case in defense of the NFL. As he shows, the league brings together Americans of all stripes, providing a rare space to talk about what matters. Indeed, the various issues we see in the league are often microcosms of the ones we see elsewhere, whether it's suspicion of the rich, or gender politics or even concern over bullying. The NFL's social, economic and legal problems are real, but they also produce some of our best and most valuable discussions of those issues. Football is a magnificent incarnation of our national character. It has many flaws, and they need fixing -- but the game's not over.
- GenresSportsFootballNonfiction
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 8, 2015
9 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Gregg Easterbrook
21 books71 followersI was born in Buffalo, New York and have lived there plus Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Colorado, Pakistan and Washington, D.C. My wife is a State Department official, which accounts for the globe-trotting. We have three children, boys born in 1989 and 1995 and a girl born in 1990.
I’ve published three literary novels, nine nonfiction books, with a tenth nonfiction book coming September 2021. The nonfiction is all over the map – economics, theology, psychological, environmental policy. If I had my writing career to do over again, I suppose I would have focused on a single genre, which makes commercial success more likely. Then again, I’ve always written about whatever was on my mind, and feel fortunate to have had that opportunity.
I am proud of my novels, which have gotten great reviews but not otherwise been noticed by the world. I hope someday that will change. Novel #4 is completed for 2022 publication.
I have been associated with The Atlantic Monthly as a staff writer, national correspondent or contributing editor. I have also written extensively for the Washington Monthly, the New Republic, the New York Times, Reuters and the Los Angeles Times.
My quirky football-and-society column Tuesday Morning Quarterback is on hiatus after an 18-year run. I may revive TMQ in the future. Right now the Internet environment is too toxic for any form of quality writing. I have retreated to books. Which is a good place to be!
I’ve published three literary novels, nine nonfiction books, with a tenth nonfiction book coming September 2021. The nonfiction is all over the map – economics, theology, psychological, environmental policy. If I had my writing career to do over again, I suppose I would have focused on a single genre, which makes commercial success more likely. Then again, I’ve always written about whatever was on my mind, and feel fortunate to have had that opportunity.
I am proud of my novels, which have gotten great reviews but not otherwise been noticed by the world. I hope someday that will change. Novel #4 is completed for 2022 publication.
I have been associated with The Atlantic Monthly as a staff writer, national correspondent or contributing editor. I have also written extensively for the Washington Monthly, the New Republic, the New York Times, Reuters and the Los Angeles Times.
My quirky football-and-society column Tuesday Morning Quarterback is on hiatus after an 18-year run. I may revive TMQ in the future. Right now the Internet environment is too toxic for any form of quality writing. I have retreated to books. Which is a good place to be!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 23, 2016
If you're a long-time reader of Gregg Easterbrook, you should absolutely skip this book. It doesn't introduce anything new to the discussion that you haven't heard over and over and over again.
The book isn't bad, and if you want to catch up on a decade of well-made points, then maybe give it a read. If you're a long-time fan looking for another "The King of Sports" you're going to be disappointed. At least it is short enough to read in an afternoon.
The book isn't bad, and if you want to catch up on a decade of well-made points, then maybe give it a read. If you're a long-time fan looking for another "The King of Sports" you're going to be disappointed. At least it is short enough to read in an afternoon.
January 25, 2016
Disappointing. A bunch of repurposed columns and some stuff he hadn't yet published but would after the book came out. Last book was really sharp, but this is just reheated leftovers. And not warmed all the way through, to just pound that metaphor home.
October 9, 2021
Brilliant book. It balances criticism with cogent analysis on areas of the game that need alteration or improvement. It offers concrete suggestions for those improvements. Written by someone with a deep affection for the game, but who still recognizes it has flaws in need of correction, it deftly illustrates how football has altered itself since its invention in the 1920’s to increase its level of acceptance among all Americans until it became the dominant sport of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. For those who don't understand how their friends can be lost to "sportsball", it draws an incisive picture of how the sport of football is a reflection of American society from the 1970's until today and describes how it can evolve to remain a dominant cultural force for years to come.
January 19, 2022
Easterbrook makes a spirited argument in defense of football. A league that brings America together. It has its flaws (concussions) that need fixing but the game is worth saving.
Easterbrook is a fantastic author. He can make any topic fascinating. A whole chapter on why football coaches punt too often (mostly out of fear of job security). Football is not a game of field position, but a game of possession. Giving up the ball on a punt on a fourth and short, when the average offense play gains 6 yards per play and has 60% chance of making a first down makes no sense in the middle of the field. The benefit far outweighs the risk.
4 stars. I'm not a gig NFL fan, but a big fan of this book.
Easterbrook is a fantastic author. He can make any topic fascinating. A whole chapter on why football coaches punt too often (mostly out of fear of job security). Football is not a game of field position, but a game of possession. Giving up the ball on a punt on a fourth and short, when the average offense play gains 6 yards per play and has 60% chance of making a first down makes no sense in the middle of the field. The benefit far outweighs the risk.
4 stars. I'm not a gig NFL fan, but a big fan of this book.
March 19, 2025
this book is very factual but you aren't just getting facts spit in your face. Gregg Easterbrook describes his facts to create images in your head, which is why I like this book compared to books that are super focused on the hard core facts because that can get boring to after awhile. Additionally this book made me better understand football and how much of it is not what it seems to be, like what is considered to be the "safe" option. Finally this book is more than football it talks a little about other sports which I think is a great touch.
March 29, 2020
A good research of how the NFL has evolved over the years and how hIt has become a representation of our society. Interesting facts and definitely good thoughts on why this sport will not die...at least for now.
January 25, 2024
Football and life
Gregg Easterbrook in an intelligent, fun author. This book it a good look at the popularity of football, especially the NFL. written in 2015, the ideas still hold up even if some of the refe re necessarily are a bit older.
Gregg Easterbrook in an intelligent, fun author. This book it a good look at the popularity of football, especially the NFL. written in 2015, the ideas still hold up even if some of the refe re necessarily are a bit older.
August 31, 2019
The NFL rehashed. The only thing of interest here is the information on concussions.
November 17, 2024
1. book about the NFL, how it got so big, why it will continue to get big
2. also talked about some of the issues facing the NFL and football
2. also talked about some of the issues facing the NFL and football
September 19, 2019
An exciting premise, using the NFL as a mirror for America at large! While the author wears his politics on his sleeve, I still really enjoyed The Game's Not Over.
February 15, 2016
Over the course of the last football season, I found my self reading the Tuesday Morning Quarterback columns that Mr. Easterbrook writes for the New York Times regularly, and enjoying them. I think in one of them I saw reference to this book, so I got it out of the public library.
The sub-title, "In defense of football" is not particular accurate - the book overall is a defense of some aspects of the NFL, primarily since the results are (according to the author) some really good games, but not at all a defense of having children in particular play contact football and suffer brain injuries to no purpose. Easterbrook also doesn't care much for the welfare-for-billionaires aspects of the NFL, but still - some of the games are really good, so fine.
I read the book from cover to cover and it was an easy enough read. Still, I think Mr. Easterbrook is more suited to writing newspaper length columns than a book (although I have not read his other books and apparently some others wouldn't agree). And some of his arguments seem thinly supported to me, in particular his attempt to connect lower graduation rates from high school for boys with their anticipation of careers in professional sports, in particular football.
Strictly speaking, the main text of the book is 157 pages long - after that there are six "bonus" sections of varying lengths and highly varying content - one is a section of his football poetry! Well, it's his book. I liked the one about how coaches typically choose to punt when statistically and otherwise they would likely be better off going for it in many circumstances - this is an argument he often makes in his NYTimes columns. We'll see if any real world NFL coach ever adopts his thinking.
In the end, a problem for me with this book was simply that I am not sure I agree with his fundamental argument that despite a rather long list of problems with the NFL that he himself provides (plus others one may have in mind without his help) that the NFL will continue to prosper, and should. Mostly just because some of the games are really really good. Hmmm.
The sub-title, "In defense of football" is not particular accurate - the book overall is a defense of some aspects of the NFL, primarily since the results are (according to the author) some really good games, but not at all a defense of having children in particular play contact football and suffer brain injuries to no purpose. Easterbrook also doesn't care much for the welfare-for-billionaires aspects of the NFL, but still - some of the games are really good, so fine.
I read the book from cover to cover and it was an easy enough read. Still, I think Mr. Easterbrook is more suited to writing newspaper length columns than a book (although I have not read his other books and apparently some others wouldn't agree). And some of his arguments seem thinly supported to me, in particular his attempt to connect lower graduation rates from high school for boys with their anticipation of careers in professional sports, in particular football.
Strictly speaking, the main text of the book is 157 pages long - after that there are six "bonus" sections of varying lengths and highly varying content - one is a section of his football poetry! Well, it's his book. I liked the one about how coaches typically choose to punt when statistically and otherwise they would likely be better off going for it in many circumstances - this is an argument he often makes in his NYTimes columns. We'll see if any real world NFL coach ever adopts his thinking.
In the end, a problem for me with this book was simply that I am not sure I agree with his fundamental argument that despite a rather long list of problems with the NFL that he himself provides (plus others one may have in mind without his help) that the NFL will continue to prosper, and should. Mostly just because some of the games are really really good. Hmmm.
February 1, 2016
This book is funny in parts, and occasionally offers biting or thought-provoking social commentary (especially around the role of public subsidies for the NFL) in examining and dissecting the role of football in modern American life.
Ultimately, though, I thought the author cut too many corners in pursuit of his narratives, and that the book was written with an arrogant tone:
--his characterization of the "deflate-gate" scandal is at odds with the facts that came out several months later, as is his characterization of the public perception of the Dolphins bullying scandal
--his comparison between football and the military, and their role in American society, felt forced and unsubstantiated
--I am as frustrated by football announcers as the next person, but his mocking of their descriptions comes across as snide and not especially funny either
--his characterization that we can "watch away, without regrets" in reference to the NFL, because of the league's changes to rules around helmet-to-helmet hits and other safety precautions, seems awfully simplistic relative to what are still very important, and unresolved, safety issues in the league (and I do watch a lot of the NFL, and agree with him that doing so is much less morally fraught than college football)
--a serious causality question around his assertion that football is a cause (rather than an effect) of the disparate educational attainment between boys and girls
--that the rising US median age will mean more people watching "more serene" baseball, as if the discrepancy in the median age of football versus baseball watchers has been constant over time rather than sporting preference being relatively constant for various generations as they age
Ultimately, though, I thought the author cut too many corners in pursuit of his narratives, and that the book was written with an arrogant tone:
--his characterization of the "deflate-gate" scandal is at odds with the facts that came out several months later, as is his characterization of the public perception of the Dolphins bullying scandal
--his comparison between football and the military, and their role in American society, felt forced and unsubstantiated
--I am as frustrated by football announcers as the next person, but his mocking of their descriptions comes across as snide and not especially funny either
--his characterization that we can "watch away, without regrets" in reference to the NFL, because of the league's changes to rules around helmet-to-helmet hits and other safety precautions, seems awfully simplistic relative to what are still very important, and unresolved, safety issues in the league (and I do watch a lot of the NFL, and agree with him that doing so is much less morally fraught than college football)
--a serious causality question around his assertion that football is a cause (rather than an effect) of the disparate educational attainment between boys and girls
--that the rising US median age will mean more people watching "more serene" baseball, as if the discrepancy in the median age of football versus baseball watchers has been constant over time rather than sporting preference being relatively constant for various generations as they age
June 1, 2016
Back when I was watching the NFL (before all the stories about CTE), I was addicted to Easterbrook's Tuesday Morning Quarterback column. It was funny, insightful, praised cheerleaders, lambasted cowardly coaches, and included football haiku.
If you've read any of TMQ, a lot of this book will be familiar. You get screeds against punting, DirecTV, and the Washington logo. Strangely though, I didn't find it as funny as the columns. The first two-thirds of the book talks about what's wrong (and some about what's right) with the NFL. So Easterbrook addresses the CTE issue, domestic violence, the monopolistic nature of the NFL, and (a new emphasis to me) the extreme wealth disparity between the owners and supporters of professional football. He starts it all off with a comparison of how much both the NFL and the US have changed since the "Heidi game", and the ensuing prose feels flat, as if he's trying too hard to show how important everything is.
For me, the book got better as it went on with a big jump in quality when I reached the "bonus" chapters, which were less serious. I appreciated Easterbrook's concerns in the early sections (he makes a good, but not entirely compelling, argument that it's okay to watch the NFL now --- the players know the risks of concussions --- but we need to be very concerned about youth, high school, and college football), but I found the writing much more interesting in the later sections.
If you've read any of TMQ, a lot of this book will be familiar. You get screeds against punting, DirecTV, and the Washington logo. Strangely though, I didn't find it as funny as the columns. The first two-thirds of the book talks about what's wrong (and some about what's right) with the NFL. So Easterbrook addresses the CTE issue, domestic violence, the monopolistic nature of the NFL, and (a new emphasis to me) the extreme wealth disparity between the owners and supporters of professional football. He starts it all off with a comparison of how much both the NFL and the US have changed since the "Heidi game", and the ensuing prose feels flat, as if he's trying too hard to show how important everything is.
For me, the book got better as it went on with a big jump in quality when I reached the "bonus" chapters, which were less serious. I appreciated Easterbrook's concerns in the early sections (he makes a good, but not entirely compelling, argument that it's okay to watch the NFL now --- the players know the risks of concussions --- but we need to be very concerned about youth, high school, and college football), but I found the writing much more interesting in the later sections.
February 19, 2016
I've been reading Gregg Easterbrook's Tuesday Morning Quarterback (TMQ) column for upwards of a decade - from ESPN to NFL.com back to ESPN and this year on NY Times online. I find him to be observant and insightful, and he has some amusing running jokes. He has a long history of looking at more than simple X's and O's. This is not his first book, but it is the first one I have read.
This book carries the subtitle "In Defense of Football" which to me seems rather strange as I haven't gotten any sense that football is actually under attack these days. Easterbrook is essentially his own prosecuting and defense attorney here, looking at modern and recent issues (scandals, concerns about concussions, highly questionable greedy practices by owners). He makes arguments about what's wrong with football, but also how to fix those issues and why football is overall still a good thing.
My one word summary: "meh". Some chapters of this book feel a bit unfocused or dull while others are pretty insightful. Regular TMQ readers - who one would expect to be the prime audience - are probably going to be disappointed. The material may be new, but the subject matter is not; the topics are ones Easterbrook has already written about frequently in his columns and as a result the book doesn't feel very fresh or new.
Mild recommendation to those with an interest in the NFL.
This book carries the subtitle "In Defense of Football" which to me seems rather strange as I haven't gotten any sense that football is actually under attack these days. Easterbrook is essentially his own prosecuting and defense attorney here, looking at modern and recent issues (scandals, concerns about concussions, highly questionable greedy practices by owners). He makes arguments about what's wrong with football, but also how to fix those issues and why football is overall still a good thing.
My one word summary: "meh". Some chapters of this book feel a bit unfocused or dull while others are pretty insightful. Regular TMQ readers - who one would expect to be the prime audience - are probably going to be disappointed. The material may be new, but the subject matter is not; the topics are ones Easterbrook has already written about frequently in his columns and as a result the book doesn't feel very fresh or new.
Mild recommendation to those with an interest in the NFL.
March 3, 2016
Entertaining, light football read. The subtitle "In Defense of Football" is a bit misleading, as there are several parts in which the author outright attacks the NFL. Conspicuously missing from the chapter about NFL players' legal troubles was Aaron Hernandez. I thought that such a serious charge, conviction, and waste of talent warranted at least a mention.
I felt a bit cheated as the book is 209 pages long, but the chapter portion ends on page 155. The remaining pages are filled with fluffy "bonus material," most of which isn't even very good.
Let me save you some time:
Concussions are bad, mmkay?
The NFL has oodles of money, yet still takes millions of dollars in taxpayer money.
NFL players are less likely to be arrested than an average citizen.
Tackle football before high school is pointless, and high school football is borderline pointless.
Most football commentators suck. (I'm looking at you, Chris Collinsworth, also conspicuously missing from this book.)
Football is only good to watch on tv, and the NFL and advertisers know it. Why people pay out the nose for overpriced tickets is beyond me.
Speaking of TV, NFL Sunday Ticket is lame. (So is the NFL Network, which is lame because my cable package doesn't include it.)
Read this book if you have an interest in hearing football anecdotes. It's a decent little read
I felt a bit cheated as the book is 209 pages long, but the chapter portion ends on page 155. The remaining pages are filled with fluffy "bonus material," most of which isn't even very good.
Let me save you some time:
Concussions are bad, mmkay?
The NFL has oodles of money, yet still takes millions of dollars in taxpayer money.
NFL players are less likely to be arrested than an average citizen.
Tackle football before high school is pointless, and high school football is borderline pointless.
Most football commentators suck. (I'm looking at you, Chris Collinsworth, also conspicuously missing from this book.)
Football is only good to watch on tv, and the NFL and advertisers know it. Why people pay out the nose for overpriced tickets is beyond me.
Speaking of TV, NFL Sunday Ticket is lame. (So is the NFL Network, which is lame because my cable package doesn't include it.)
Read this book if you have an interest in hearing football anecdotes. It's a decent little read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
January 25, 2016I've enjoyed watching football more after following Easterbrook's Tuesday Morning Quarterback columns on various sites, most recently the NY Times. There is an intelligence, humor, love of history and a broad knowledge of the world in his writing; strangely, I find baseball writers tend to have these qualities and football columnists tend to be lacking. I love, for instance, the fact that Easterbrook writes about the Potomac Basin Indigenous Persons because the Washington team neither plays nor practices in DC and has an offensive name. Nerd wit!
This book builds on certain themes from the columns, both positive and negative. There are chapters on stadium boondoggles and the concussion problems with the sport, but also admiration for great players and coaches.
If you want to look smart at a Superbowl party, read through the 5 bonus chapters in the back: Easterbrook gives a timeline of highlights from the past 50 years, explains how to choose winning teams and even has a haiku featuring your favorite team.
If you're the kind of sports fan that likes Only a Game on NPR, you are the kind of sports fan that would appreciate this book.
This book builds on certain themes from the columns, both positive and negative. There are chapters on stadium boondoggles and the concussion problems with the sport, but also admiration for great players and coaches.
If you want to look smart at a Superbowl party, read through the 5 bonus chapters in the back: Easterbrook gives a timeline of highlights from the past 50 years, explains how to choose winning teams and even has a haiku featuring your favorite team.
If you're the kind of sports fan that likes Only a Game on NPR, you are the kind of sports fan that would appreciate this book.
January 16, 2016
This book is inferior to Easterbrook's previous football book "The King of Sports." The author tries to lay out the path to reform for football while lamenting its many faults. Terse at 150 pages, "The Games's Not Over" fails to prove its thesis that football will remain with us long into the future. Rule changes and regulations are one part of the story, but Easterbrook's faith in progress blinds him to the mirror the NFL holds up to our wretched society. What was once a rogue rumble that entertained college crowds is now an autocratic corporate alliance uses and abuses its laborers while enriching the few at the public's expense. Easterbrook fails to examine the role of controversy that is inherent to the success of the game; there is no such thing as bad publicity is one of the keys to the NFL's dominance in sports today. The book that really gets at the connection of football and the crisis of American masculinity remains to be written.
June 25, 2016
3 stars with a standard deviation of 2 depending on reader background. Enjoyment of this book depends completely on whether you are a regular reader of his Tuesday Morning Quarterback columns. If not, then this should prove to be a quick, fun, informative read, covering his arguments against youth tackle football [concussion risk], corporate welfare for NFL owners, DirecTV monopoly on Sunday Ticket, too-frequent Preposterous Punts when coaches should go for it on 4th down but don't because they want to shift blame to the players in case of failure, his compromise with Baptist upbringing (pro-dancing, anti-gambling) and so on and so forth, all written in witty fashion.
However, if like me you read TMQ all the time, there is basically nothing new here at all.
However, if like me you read TMQ all the time, there is basically nothing new here at all.
December 31, 2015
Really liked this book. It's completely relevant to today's issues with football and the NFL, the exposure of doping, domestic abuse and how the NFL makes a fortune but the tax payers pay the bills. The author makes some excellent suggestions on how to make the football more fair to fans and players alike. He clearly knows this game and the book ends with a comprehensive list of the most exciting games ever.
December 19, 2015
I enjoyed this, much as I did TMQ's previous books. However, much of the content is a rehash of Easterbrook's previous writings. His analysis on how the taxpayer supports owners of professional sports teams through funding of stadiums to tax breaks is spot on. People should pay more attention to how professional sports owners make their money.
October 20, 2016
Title is misleading: this book is more a (well-deserved) criticism of NFL than a defense of football. The author repeats himself a lot and sometimes get carried away by his excitement about football trivia. The book seemed hastily cobbled together.
Currently reading
November 16, 2016I think is book is very good if you like football
This book is all over the place
It has a lot of details
This book is all over the place
It has a lot of details
January 20, 2016
One of the very best books ever written about professional football. A great read full of insights
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews