Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan

by Jessica Luther, Kavitha Davidson

Triumphant wins, gut-wrenching losses, last-second shots, underdogs, competition, and loyalty—it’s fun to be a fan. But when a football player takes a hit to the head after yet another study has warned of the dangers of CTE, or when a team whose mascot was born in an era of racism and bigotry takes the field, or when a relief pitcher accused of domestic violence saves the game, how is one to cheer? Welcome to the club for sports fans who care too much. In Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back , acclaimed sports writers Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson tackle the most pressing issues in sports, why they matter, and how we can do better. For the authors, “sticking to sports” is not an option—not when our taxes are paying for the stadiums, and college athletes aren’t getting paid at all. But simply quitting a favorite team won’t change corrupt and deplorable practices, and the root causes of many of these problems are endemic in our wider society. An essential read for modern fans, Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back challenges the status quo and explores how we might begin to reconcile our conscience with our fandom.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Politics, Sociology, Race, Audiobook, Feminism

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my Q&A with the authors in the Christian Science Monitor: www.csmonitor.com/Loving-Sports

[Kevin McLeod · Rating 3 out of 5]

my enjoyment of this varied by chapter. some were very interest and informative and offered unique perspectives (such as "watching women's basketball when people tell you you're the only one" and "embracing tennis despite its inequities"; other i was already quite familiar with and as such i didn't take as much from them (such as "how i learned to stop worrying and love baseball's free market" and "loving your team when you hate the owner").

overall was a bit disappointed at being misled by the title; i didn't really learn about HOW to love sports in the face of problematic issues. most chapters felt like they were 75% explanations of the problems and why they are bad, and 25% hope for the future/ how things are changing/ fans saying these problems are legitimate but they just love the team anyways

[Jung · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4.5 stars] Essays on the moral dilemmas and cognitive dissonance of being a sports fan in the US, written with a social justice lens. My love for sports has developed slowly over the past decade and a half, roped into women’s soccer by living in the land of Abby Wambach (also known as Western NY), into NFL football by a former AmeriCorps friend, into men’s college basketball by attending (and getting free tickets at) UNC, into the NBA by my favorite college players getting drafted, and into the WNBA by moving to Chicago. Still, I’ve been an anti-capitalist, anti-war, anti-prisons feminist woman of color for much longer, and it was actually Jessica Luther’s (and Dave Zirin’s) writing, especially on sexual violence, that have helped me reconcile the two seemingly oppositional aspects of my life. Now Luther, along with co-author Kavitha Davidson are bringing those questions and complications to the masses.

With Davidson’s knack for storytelling, Luther’s flair for historical analysis, and both of their sharp feminist framing, Loving Sports... sheds light on myriad legal and ethical issues in sports, and how they and we figure out how our fandoms coexist along with them. I was familiar with some, like CTE, indigenous mascots, the question of student payment in college sports (yes), trans and queer athletes, and the problems with domestic and sexual violence across leagues. Luther and Davidson’s writing is engaging and accessible, and even hooked me on topics that I don’t really follow, like doping in sports or anything related to baseball. The last three chapters on tax-subsidized stadiums, nationalist tournaments, and athlete protest were an excellent race to the finish, weaving in a clear critique of capitalism, militarism, policing, and autocracy that I wish had more deeply permeated other chapters (a far lefty personal preference, as the book is also great as written).

Recommended for sports fans new and established, non-sports fans who’ve started paying attention to recent (or even post-Kaepernick) media attention, readers who like exploring history from different angles, or anyone who has had to figure out whether to keep watching a sport that doesn’t fully align with your politics (in my case, with the USWNT it’s been a yes and with the Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu-less Steelers it’s been a no).

Goodreads Challenge: 71/90
Femibooks Nonfiction Challenge: a book about or related to popular science

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good! But not quite what I expected (I had assumed more of the "when they don't love you back" would be centred on women), and honestly a couple of parts felt already out of date, which is always going to be the risk, but it was just very stark.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re an avid reader of sports journalism, this book might not cover a lot of material that feels new to you. There’s still a lot of value in these chapters for someone who wants to be a thoughtful sports fan. The points at which it really shines are when it’s advocating on behalf of, and pushing the reader to consider the experience of, athletes who are women, LGBTQIA+, trans, non-binary—basically those who don’t identify as cishet men. The perspectives they share remind the reader that there aren’t easy answers for these dilemmas and a great deal of the struggle is accepting the feeling of powerlessness as fan. In the end, you can only control yourself, your consumption habits, your interactions, your pocketbook.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

hmm. hmm! definitely a good overview of a lot of the issues inherent to sports/sports fandom, like players accused of domestic violence, billionaire owners who are bad people and also keep begging for public money to build stadiums, misogyny, homophobia, racism, brain trauma, and exploiting ncaa athletes. lots of these chapters covered things that I think about a lot as a sports fan and I appreciated that.

however the book asks how do you love sports when they don’t love you back? when they are racist and misogynistic and put profits over people time and time again? and it doesn’t really have answers. it tells you yes this is really hard to grapple with! and it moves on to the next issue. obviously if anyone had answers we wouldn’t need the book bc hopefully we would be solving problems, but I didn’t feel like the book really took me anywhere different than I where I was when I started.

I think this book is probably most valuable as a starting point for engaging more deeply w the issues it covers. maybe now I will do more reading on stadium funding and the harm caused by the olympics. also I discovered it is extremely fun to read abt how terrible team owners are and I must know more. on that note it is a little off putting to me that the bad owners chapter covers owners who are overtly racist towards the mostly Black players on their teams and also owners who are just rich and bad at their jobs. I just feel like maybe these things should be given different weights. also funny to read abt the knicks now that they’re actually good this season.

I really enjoyed the chapter about sports media that included multiple excerpts from marginalized journalists about their experiences navigating through the contradictions and barriers. it feels good to talk about the issues within sports w people who love sports, because you know the criticism is in good faith and coming from a place of wanting the thing you love to be better.

in conclusion maybe I’m the problem for wanting something else from this book. I think it’s generous to sports fans, acknowledging that sports fandom is a huge part of identity and it’s hard to love something that doesn’t always allow you to practice your morals. but is it letting us off the hook by saying “be aware of the issues and do what you can”? sports can be good and empowering and fun and magic but is it okay to value those things over the harm that they cause? is it good enough to try to be good within the system? I don’t know. how bout them blue jays tho

[Shelley G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you a sports fan? Particularly one who experiences cognitive dissonance surrounding your love of sport despite the major issues within the pro sports juggernaut? If yes, then this book is for you. (It would be great if not-at-all-conflicted sports fans would read this too, but I won't hold my breath).
It's insightful, it's well-researched, it's nuanced, and it's damning. It covers all of the major issues that frustrate fans (misogyny & domestic violence, homophobia, racism & racist mascots, concussions & traumatic brain injuries, pay inequality, doping, Olympic games) and then some (malevolent team owners, governmental subsidies for venues, unpaid college athletes). I think if you happen to already be a conflicted sports fan, none of this is terribly new or revelatory, but I really found it a worthwhile read. I also recommend following both authors' journalism and Luther's podcast, Burn It All Down.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is important for people who want to be conscious consumers and I’m glad I read it; however, I found it difficult to be presented with very few solutions to the many problems that were discussed. The author mentions in the introduction that there simply aren’t answers to every question. That statement doesn’t make it easier to reconcile supporting activities with so many systemic issues.

[Trianna/Treereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent and put into words a lot of the thoughts I have on being a sports fan.

[Jordan Keeble · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really liked this book, as a very big sports fan that also happens to be female. I do wish they had focused a little less on problematic owners and had at least included a chapter on athletes with sexual abuse histories. I’d say every sport fan should read it if they can but it also only scratches the surface of a lot of these issues that modern fans are discovering today.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Domestic violence, racism, greedy owners, concussions , racist mascots and juiced players yet I still love sports. This book is about trying to reconcile how you feel about the sports you love with the reality of sports themselves. It was a great read.

[Aaron Siple · Rating 5 out of 5]

To think that sports are not political is asinine. This book touches on the countless problems associated with the modern sports fan and athlete.
From pay to play, spaces for transgender athletes, racism, and even the fact that 90% of sports writers are white, cis-men, this book discusses it all.
Despite the gloomy outlook of most of the chapters, the authors give a glimmer of hope to keep you from banishing sports from your life.
As a former collegiate athlete, current coach and sports communications director, this book hits close to home. My life has been inundated by sports and knowing that my beliefs are not crazy makes me feel good about where sports are headed.
There is still A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE but if this book is any inkling, I think it'll be just fine!

[anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down. read via audiobook.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me feel profoundly seen, as does the feminist sports podcast Luther cohosts, Burn It All Down.

[hailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know they said they had no solutions, which is fair because I understand how complicated all of these issues are but I didn't enjoy reading the book. A lot of it felt underwhelming and I expected at least more of an exploration of why these things are bad but why we also love them. I didn't think it was just here is a list of reasons why you should not enjoy sports. I hated the doping chapter. There wasn't a cohesiveness to it at all. It felt like reading a Twitter timeline? I don't know. I think my expectations were too high and too low at the same time and the end result just fell flat.

[JulieK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concussions, racist mascots, misogyny, publicly funded stadiums - so many things are problematic about the sports world. This book is unflinching in its criticisms, but the authors still love sports. How to reconcile fandom with critique is something they (and I) spend a lot of time mulling. The book is well done but might be best suited for those who haven’t thought a lot about these issues already.

[Jacob Runyon · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5 stars)
I'm not sure what I expected from this book, but there were many aspects that didn't sit right. First, I disagree with the notion of a "modern" meaning "blindly progressive."

While there are grey areas regarding testosterone levels in female athletes, as a whole it is unfair for a trans woman to compete in female athletics. Especially considering, as the authors note later, that the Olympics and the World Cup are the biggest platforms for women's sports. For this platform to be overshadowed by a biological male is unfair. I also disagree with some of the analysis of data presented in the book. To argue for more women's perspective on sports is one thing, but to argue for more trans perspective is another. The trans population already makes up a very small portion of the population, and if I were to assume, a large majority of transgender people are not all that interested in sports as again the authors note that the majority who follow sports have a conservative mindset. Simply put there is not a lot of demand for a trans perspective on sports because there is not a large audience to sell to. I also disagree with their analysis regarding the WNBA's viewership and pay. The the reason WNBA struggles to survive and retain players has nothing to do coverage of the sport. The WNBA struggles to survive because it is in direct competition with the highest level of basketball played in the world. Women can go overseas and make millions in other countries because the professional women's league is not in direct competition of the NBA. Coverage may help, but it won't solve the WNBA's problems. And no, I do not think that is inherently sexists of me to admit that I'd rather watch Lebron James play than Sue Bird. Regarding equal pay in sports, the same is true. The USWNT absolutely should make the same amount of money as the players for the men's. I would much rather watch a USWNT win rather than be mediocre. But the same can not be said when you compare the MLS and NWSL. Besides, the 11-15 players who play on the USWNT, I couldn't tell you another player from the NWSL, and I don't think that is solely from a coverage perspective. Nor do I think that it is completely oppressive to a group of people to say that you must compete in your biological event at mega events such as the Olympics.

Still this book does deserve a 3 instead of 2. While this book had chapters that I thoroughly disagreed with, it also had a good many chapters that were fascinating. The concussion chapter was incredible. Baseball's free market was neat how they compared it to labor movements. I had no idea that cities would try to veto the Olympics and the World Cup for the reasons they mentioned. One chapter I surprisingly was sensitive of was the chapter regarding Native American mascots. I found the history of naming teams this in the early 1900s fascinating. As an Atlanta Braves fan, I didn't think much of our name. It's not like we were named something vulgar such as "Redskins," and the closest thing we come to a depiction of Native American people (at least presently) is a picture of a tomahawk. Still, any depiction of people who still exist should be treated very delicately if not at all.

Overall, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book. As stated earlier, the notion that "modern" is only designated for purely "progressive" values is unfair. We have to be careful not to blindly follow anything that the leaders of our political party say is good. I consider myself as a conscious conservative. I generally lean right, but am willing to hear and consider other sides. I was able to see some new perspectives in this book such as the issues regarding race, but my mind wasn't changed regarding gender and women issues.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks at some of the biggest issues in sports that can turn off the common fan, or at least, have the serious potential to turn off a fan from their sport and team. The authors cover issues from domestic violence by stars, money issues (Olympics and the cost of stadiums), the role of politics in sports, drugs, racism, etc. Luther and Davidson use a combination of good writing, some humor, and accounts from other colleagues in the sports media business to flesh out those issues that dominate headlines as much as any activity on the field. The authors don’t ultimately ask that fans turn off their fandom based on these issues, but they acknowledge that sports can’t be the perfect thing that some other make them out to be. Athletes, owners and all others in between, are human and human faults and frailties will always get in the way. A good read, especially for the sports fan who is not so blinded by their fandom that they can see the issues that sports faces today.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved most of the essays in this collection, but found three of them (on baseball's free market, loving your team when you hate the owner, and living with the new stadium you didn't want to pay for) a bit dry.

If anyone is interested, the rest of them cover: brain trauma in sport, doping, racist mascots, inequalities in tennis, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in sport, lack of appreciation/funding for the WNBA, lack of diversity in sports pundits/media, domestic violence in sports, march madness lack of pay, the damage the Olympics does to local communities, politics in sports. There's a nice diverse range of topics and this is great to dip in and out of. I think each of the issues is explained and handled well (aside from the baseball free market chapter as I know very little about baseball) and written engagingly.

[Shannon Vanderstreaten · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25- really informative! I think one of the reviews saying that the book doesn’t teach you how to love sport in the face of these issues is completely wrong, it absolutely does give you some options of how to continue being a sports fan in the face of misogyny, white supremacy, and homophobia i.e donating to a domestic violence charity, supporting activists, etc.

Some chapters were really excellent, any time that baseball came up I completely glazed over bc I have no interest in that topic lol. I think they could have expanded their reach further, especially looking at professional wrestling for chapter 1 on CTE, but then again, there’s only so much you can do in the space of one text! I learnt so much, esp on the history of racist mascots, that was a standout chapter.

This book really makes me miss Burn It All Down 💔

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important message but hit and miss on many of the chapters. Lots of anecdotal evidence and hand-wavy answers to a lot of the questions raised. Many of the topics weren't new to me but I still took away some action items for myself. Things like engaging more with women's sports and re-thinking my enjoyment of the Olympics. But most of all letting my fandom exist in all its various permutations no matter how contradictory they may be.

[Shannon Travers · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it is disheartening that there’s enough content to make a whole book about problematic things in sports since I love them, it is nice to read from people facing a similar dilemma to what I feel at times. It is broken out into chapters, each addressing a different issue, and it provides information and history on them. I see some reviews with lower stars because it didn’t completely explain how to cope with the conflicting feelings, but I think that is an unrealistic expectation to have. My only wish would be to have an updated version as there’s been changes in various areas since it was published in 2020. Borrowed this from the library but thinking I will buy it for the book collection and to support the authors.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge sports fan so was really looking forward to reading this one. It was very interesting but also a bit depressing to me. All sports have to strive to be better, from less destruction of communities during the Olympics to figuring out how to pay women more money in the WNBA. At the same time, I expect sports will continue to bring communities together and I will continue to watch!

[an ungraceful swan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was someone's review who stated this book throws lots of problems at you without really offering an answer, and I can't argue against that. That being said, I think the whole thing about the book is that there are problems, but it's up to you, the fan and reader to grapple with them yourself, take the information given and come to your own conclusions. No one can spoon feed you ethics

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good general overview of issues within sports infrastructure and fandom with diverse sources and good research backing it.

[Nikki Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to read for grad school but it was really good! Had a lot of interesting points. Must read if you are a sports fan even if you only watch the Olympics.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well researched, incredibly important topics, but also very dry.

[Sarah Roeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a class, and it started off really good, but got super repetitive. All the issues in sports boil down to money and it didn’t propose any solutions to fix the problems.

[Alysha · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former female athlete of a less popular sport that has a complicated history with doping (and a plethora of other issues.), this book truly put into words how I feel to be both an athlete and fan. Great book, highly recommend.

[Emily Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a wonderfully written examination of the conflicts of being a sports fan while also acknowledging the realities of those sports and their impact on the communities and people around us.