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Lasting Impact: One Team, One Season. What Happens When Our Sons Play Football
New York Times bestselling author Kostya Kennedy sets this captivating, character-rich story against the back-drop of one of the most pressing questions in sports: Should we let our sons play football? At the high end of America's most popular game is the glittering NFL, a fan-stoked money machine and also an opaque enterprise under scrutiny for the physical dangers imposed on its players. Then there's high school football, unrivaled for the crucial life lessons it imparts-discipline, leadership, cooperation, humility, perseverance-yet also a brain-rattling, bone-breaking game whose consequences are at best misunderstood, and, at the very worst, deadly. What is the parent of a young athlete to make of that?
The New Rochelle High School team in suburban New York is like many across the country: a source of civic pride, a manhood workshop for a revered coach and an emotional proving ground for boys of widely different backgrounds. In the fall of 2014, New Rochelle's season unfolded alongside watershed NFL head injury revelations and domestic abuse cases (remember Ray Rice?), as well as fatalities on nearby fields.
The dramatic story of that season, for players, parents and coaches, underscores fundamental questions. Are football's inherent risks so great that the sport may not survive as we know it? Or are those risks worth the rewards that the game continues to bestow, and that can stay with a young man for a lifetime?
The New Rochelle High School team in suburban New York is like many across the country: a source of civic pride, a manhood workshop for a revered coach and an emotional proving ground for boys of widely different backgrounds. In the fall of 2014, New Rochelle's season unfolded alongside watershed NFL head injury revelations and domestic abuse cases (remember Ray Rice?), as well as fatalities on nearby fields.
The dramatic story of that season, for players, parents and coaches, underscores fundamental questions. Are football's inherent risks so great that the sport may not survive as we know it? Or are those risks worth the rewards that the game continues to bestow, and that can stay with a young man for a lifetime?
256 pages, Hardcover
Published September 6, 2016
9 people are currently reading
307 people want to read
About the author
Kostya Kennedy
20 books71 followersKOSTYA KENNEDY is the Editor in Chief of Premium Publishing at Dotdash Meredith. A former Senior Writer and Editor at Sports Illustrated, he is the author of the forthcoming book The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America as well as True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson, the New York Times bestsellers 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports, and Pete Rose: An American Dilemma. All three books won the CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year. He has taught at Columbia and New York University, and he lives in Westchester County, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 13, 2016
The sport of football has been under the microscope for several months due to issues on many fronts: domestic violence incidents involving professional players, the overall culture of the game and the safety of the players’ long-term health due to the concerns about the number of concussions suffered. All of those topics and more are explored in this excellent book on a high school football team by Kostya Kennedy.
The book takes the reader through the 2014 football season of New Rochelle High School, a New York City suburban school district. The area is a melting pot of all levels of affluence, of various races and various family dynamics. The football program, led by coach Lou DiRienzo, is one of the more successful teams for many years. The players are proud to be wearing the Huguenots jersey and many come back to visit.
One of these former players, Ray Rice, came back to visit during that 2014 season when he was the flashpoint of the issue of domestic violence in professional football. This section of the book was a good example of the main characteristic of this book that I thought made it an excellent read: it was fair, free of inflammatory talking points and explained the issue in a thorough manner.
Concerns about player safety and concussions are also explored from the point of view of coaches, players and parents. The culture of the game will make players not want to suggest that anything is wrong with them physically. There is concussion treatment protocol that all teams must follow, but it relies on player self-reporting, Because of this, according to a quote in the book, “There may be as many concussions that go unrecognized as go recognized on the football field.” But as to WHY this is the case – the culture of the game – is explained quite well through the book.
Kennedy does address the question most often posed to parents – would he let his son play football? By following the season of a successful high school football team, he explains his position in a manner that will make any person think about his or her perspective of the sport. This is done not only in the last chapter when he addresses the question directly, but in each previous chapter when Kennedy captures the spirit, the drive and the passion these young men have for the game of football and the school. No matter the level of interest one has in the sport, this is a fascinating book on the game and the young men who play it.
I wish to thank Sports Illustrated for providing a copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
The book takes the reader through the 2014 football season of New Rochelle High School, a New York City suburban school district. The area is a melting pot of all levels of affluence, of various races and various family dynamics. The football program, led by coach Lou DiRienzo, is one of the more successful teams for many years. The players are proud to be wearing the Huguenots jersey and many come back to visit.
One of these former players, Ray Rice, came back to visit during that 2014 season when he was the flashpoint of the issue of domestic violence in professional football. This section of the book was a good example of the main characteristic of this book that I thought made it an excellent read: it was fair, free of inflammatory talking points and explained the issue in a thorough manner.
Concerns about player safety and concussions are also explored from the point of view of coaches, players and parents. The culture of the game will make players not want to suggest that anything is wrong with them physically. There is concussion treatment protocol that all teams must follow, but it relies on player self-reporting, Because of this, according to a quote in the book, “There may be as many concussions that go unrecognized as go recognized on the football field.” But as to WHY this is the case – the culture of the game – is explained quite well through the book.
Kennedy does address the question most often posed to parents – would he let his son play football? By following the season of a successful high school football team, he explains his position in a manner that will make any person think about his or her perspective of the sport. This is done not only in the last chapter when he addresses the question directly, but in each previous chapter when Kennedy captures the spirit, the drive and the passion these young men have for the game of football and the school. No matter the level of interest one has in the sport, this is a fascinating book on the game and the young men who play it.
I wish to thank Sports Illustrated for providing a copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
November 25, 2022
The suicide of Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriot who was serving a life sentence for the murder of his friend, got me thinking about Kennedy’s book, Lasting Impact: One Team, One Season. What Happens When Our Sons Play Football. Kennedy’s book follows one high school football team, New Rochelle in suburban New York, through their 2014 season. Kennedy sets the boys’ state playoff drive alongside questions swirling around football: the potential for permanent brain injury and the specter of domestic violence played out in the NFL (along with the possible connection between the two issues). How does Hernandez’s suicide fit in? His family donated his brain to the ongoing CTE brain injury study in Boston, the results of which may shed light on not only Hernandez’s suicide but his murder conviction and violent history as well.
Kennedy is a talented writer, and I’ve enjoyed his work in Sports Illustrated for years. I had the sense reading his book that this work was less dispassionate news reportage and more of a searching inquiry about whether he should allow his own sons to play football. A totally uninterested third party might read his book and think, “My son has a chance of not only permanent brain damage but also death (Kennedy details several on-field fatalities)? Of course he won’t play football.” Kennedy is conflicted, however, because he clearly loves the game and, like many of the coaches and parents he interviews, appreciates the values of discipline, hard work, and team commitment that football teaches.
If it sounds like these are two different questions, that’s how the book reads as well. There is the straightforward nonfiction account of a season in the life of a high school football team. And then there are the ethical questions that must be addressed by everyone who plays, coaches, or watches the game of football. If you are interested in football or have a child who is, I highly recommend Kennedy’s book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Kennedy is a talented writer, and I’ve enjoyed his work in Sports Illustrated for years. I had the sense reading his book that this work was less dispassionate news reportage and more of a searching inquiry about whether he should allow his own sons to play football. A totally uninterested third party might read his book and think, “My son has a chance of not only permanent brain damage but also death (Kennedy details several on-field fatalities)? Of course he won’t play football.” Kennedy is conflicted, however, because he clearly loves the game and, like many of the coaches and parents he interviews, appreciates the values of discipline, hard work, and team commitment that football teaches.
If it sounds like these are two different questions, that’s how the book reads as well. There is the straightforward nonfiction account of a season in the life of a high school football team. And then there are the ethical questions that must be addressed by everyone who plays, coaches, or watches the game of football. If you are interested in football or have a child who is, I highly recommend Kennedy’s book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Read
April 11, 2019This is a pretty cool deep dive into a high school football season in Anytown, USA (New Rochelle, NY). The book is ostensibly about concussions and kind of seeks to aid the reader in answering the question of whether or not he or she would allow his or her prospective offspring to play football, but the bulk of the book simply follows the team's season.
Having played many years of contact sports myself--but never having suffered any concussion symptoms, ever--I found the book extremely interesting. It made me realize how lucky I was/am to have been cognitively unaffected by some rather large collisions.
The author had the good fortune of the Ray Rice story falling into his lap as he wrote the book/followed the team, and the personal narratives entwined in the team made for interesting reading. Any thinking football fan should read this book.
Having played many years of contact sports myself--but never having suffered any concussion symptoms, ever--I found the book extremely interesting. It made me realize how lucky I was/am to have been cognitively unaffected by some rather large collisions.
The author had the good fortune of the Ray Rice story falling into his lap as he wrote the book/followed the team, and the personal narratives entwined in the team made for interesting reading. Any thinking football fan should read this book.
October 19, 2016
I love Kostya Kennedy's books. As in his book about Pete Rose, he presents all sides of the story. This one examines a High School Football Team in New Rochelle N.Y. He takes on each controversial issue, surrounding the sport, in a non-preachy way. Leaving you to either agree or disagree with his words. A fan or a concerned person of youth sports will enjoy this book.
March 19, 2020
Outstanding in the genre of Feinstein... the answer to the central question of "would you let your son play football" is way more nuanced than "over my dead body" or "sure because he'll get a scholarship and play in the pros!". Kennedy embeds himself with a high school team in New Rochelle, NY and from there explores the nuances of a sport and culture that grips American sports fans. The concussion and long-term related effects is also explored in some detail... there appears to be a clear link between football and head injuries, but the study of this link and how to protect players is far from complete. I highly recommend this book to anyone with sons who play sports or who have ever invested any interest in the sport of football.
October 24, 2017
The author does an excellent job of highlighting the character traits - and lifelong benefits - that come from playing high school football. Unfortunately for those of us who played the game, he also provides alarming statistics about CTE and other head impact related issues. Avoid reading this book if you prefer to remain blissfully ignorant about possible long term effects from your playing days.
June 27, 2017
The author takes a look at the world of high school football with a special focus on safety issues by looking at the entire season of the New Rochelle High School Huguenots. Of special interest is his focus on the facts without an agenda.
May 28, 2017
This title gives you food for thought on the big question: if you had a son, would you let him play football. Author gives a fair answer.
June 13, 2017
Author has a clear bias for football. And the highlight/inclusion of Ray Rice was not a selling point for football.
October 15, 2018
Interesting, but about as substantial as a random SI article.
October 25, 2016
Son LOVED it!!
September 26, 2016
Lasting Impact: One Team, One Season, What Happens When Our Sons Play Football by Kostya Kennedy covers the 2014 football season of New Rochelle High School in New York. This book takes on more subjects than just the football team. Some I liked, some not so much. The best parts of this book for me was that I got to know the players and the parts that told about their coach, Lou Dirienzo. I enjoyed this and if you like High School football, you will too! (Gerard's review)
September 9, 2016
LASTING IMPACT by Kostya Kennedy is a two fold story of following the 2014 football season at New Rochelle High School, located just north of New York City. It is also a study of what high school football means to people: to the players, the coaches, the parents, the community and whether football is a good thing for young men to be participating in such a violent sport and comparable to other high school sports, a dangerous game. Kennedy heavily considers concussions, looking at how they are diagnosed, what current and former players really think about the concussion protocols that are in place, and is it an acceptable sacrifice to play football despite the potential repercussions of repeated head injury.
The New Rochelle team is a likable bunch. Kennedy spends time writing about many of them, where they come from, and what their aspirations are. They all love their coach, Lou DiRienzo, who has been at the high school for years and is one of those unique coaches who, while wanting to win, seems to relish even more the idea of team; that if these young men come together and fully commit to being a singular unit, called the New Rochelle football team, that they can accomplish anything.
Kennedy was forming this book during a pivotal time in the NFL, and since Ray Rice is a New Rochelle alumni and some of the revelations of his personal life were coming out during the 2014 season, the team, the school, and Rice intersected for a time and Kennedy's take from the coaches and the school's point of view was unique and different from how the public perceived it at the time.
A intimate look at high school football at a pivotal time for the sport, Kennedy maneuvers through it all as unbiased as he can and tells the tale of a team looking for greatness and a health concern that is difficult to ignore. LASTING IMPACT is a book I would recommend to anyone who has a hand in football, whether it is a student, parent, teacher, doctor, relative.
Thank you to Time Inc Books/Sports Illustrated, Kostya Kennedy, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The New Rochelle team is a likable bunch. Kennedy spends time writing about many of them, where they come from, and what their aspirations are. They all love their coach, Lou DiRienzo, who has been at the high school for years and is one of those unique coaches who, while wanting to win, seems to relish even more the idea of team; that if these young men come together and fully commit to being a singular unit, called the New Rochelle football team, that they can accomplish anything.
Kennedy was forming this book during a pivotal time in the NFL, and since Ray Rice is a New Rochelle alumni and some of the revelations of his personal life were coming out during the 2014 season, the team, the school, and Rice intersected for a time and Kennedy's take from the coaches and the school's point of view was unique and different from how the public perceived it at the time.
A intimate look at high school football at a pivotal time for the sport, Kennedy maneuvers through it all as unbiased as he can and tells the tale of a team looking for greatness and a health concern that is difficult to ignore. LASTING IMPACT is a book I would recommend to anyone who has a hand in football, whether it is a student, parent, teacher, doctor, relative.
Thank you to Time Inc Books/Sports Illustrated, Kostya Kennedy, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
December 3, 2016
Kostya Kennedy, in “Lasting Impact,” doesn’t have an answer to his own question: Should your son play football? That’s not a failing of his book. It’s the result of factors beyond our comprehension and of the mysteries of the human condition. The only answer lies in the hearts and minds of parents who are charged with protecting their children.
Concussions and disabling injuries have always been a part of the sport that inflames the passion of millions of people. The most recent examination of the dangers has prompted great moral debate that appears to be widely divided and highly impassioned. No responsible parent would want his child severely injured or killed while playing a game. Kennedy understands this and, while his study is an eye-opening revelation of the dangers, he also presents the side of reason in his disclosures.
Using the football season of a big-time high school that has a rich tradition of success under a traditional coach that brooks no nonsense, the author segues between the joys and the woes suffered by the boys as they progress through their season and adds historical information about incidences and results of the sport from high school through the NFL. He talks about the frequency of the occurrences, the studies that attempt to improve safety for the participants, the development of improved protective equipment, and the chances that exist of a player becoming a statistic. It’s riveting stuff that both exhilarates, and breaks hearts. It’s certain to make a football fan question his or her enthusiasm for the game.
I played football, my son played football, and my grandsons played football. I don’t recall any serious trepidation about participation, although occasional dour thoughts surfaced, soon extinguished by the thrill of it all. Read this book, think about the recent hubbub, remember the valuable life experiences provided, and then make the decision that’s right for you. Kennedy has laid it out for you.
February 2, 2017
This book looks at the impact of high school football by chronicling the 2015 sesaon of New Rochelle, NY. It was a good, enjoyable read. There is a big focus on the perils of football - not just high school, but all levels of football. Discussions are discussed at length.
This is a very balanced view of the good and the bad of football.
I would recommend it for anyone who has a son who might play football - or if you are interested in the positive and negative impact football can bring to a community.
This is not a "Friday Night Lights" kind of book. While it does tell many stories of the kids and coaches, it also works in a lot of info on injuries, concussions and death that is directly related to football.
This is a very balanced view of the good and the bad of football.
I would recommend it for anyone who has a son who might play football - or if you are interested in the positive and negative impact football can bring to a community.
This is not a "Friday Night Lights" kind of book. While it does tell many stories of the kids and coaches, it also works in a lot of info on injuries, concussions and death that is directly related to football.
September 25, 2016
Asks, but does not attempt to answer for you, the question if playing football is worth the risks of the head injuries a lot of the players suffer. It explores the benefits of participating in high school football and the injuries and even deaths that occur across the country every year.
After reading the book I am of the dual opinion that yes, football teams are good for kids and no, it is too dangerous for children. Kostya Kennedy does an impressive job presenting both sides of the argument. Read it for yourself and see what I mean. It is very interesting to follow a specific team for one whole season of high school football.
After reading the book I am of the dual opinion that yes, football teams are good for kids and no, it is too dangerous for children. Kostya Kennedy does an impressive job presenting both sides of the argument. Read it for yourself and see what I mean. It is very interesting to follow a specific team for one whole season of high school football.
January 23, 2017
Interesting
This book was alright, but because the author had to point out numerous times in the end that she didn't have an agenda I was reminded that I felt throughout the book she certainly DID have an agenda. I like the actual story of the New Rochelle team, just didn't really need side stories of NFL injuries or injuries at other schools that don't really pertain to what was going on at New Rochelle.
This book was alright, but because the author had to point out numerous times in the end that she didn't have an agenda I was reminded that I felt throughout the book she certainly DID have an agenda. I like the actual story of the New Rochelle team, just didn't really need side stories of NFL injuries or injuries at other schools that don't really pertain to what was going on at New Rochelle.
January 12, 2017
Surprisingly entertaining read about the New Rochelle HS football season of 2015. Kennedy goes into depth on the issues of concussions and domestic violence rather than go game by game, typical boring sports book style.
November 12, 2016
This is a 5-star book if you have a teenager interested in sports. No answers, but lots of questions to ask yourself.
April 6, 2017
If you have a son playing or wanting to play football, I think this book does a good job describing the appeal as well as the risk involved.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews