Title/Author:
“Here and Gone: Short-Lived
Sports Teams and Leagues” by John Rust
Tags:
Baseball, basketball,
football (American), soccer, ice hockey, history, short stories
Publish date:
September 24, 2018
Length:
171 pages
Rating: to
4 of 5 stars (very
good)
Review:
Sports fans are familiar with the
scenario: a brand new team or league is formed with expectations that people
will come out and support a sports team in a new venue or a new team that
replaces one that folded or moved away.
Then problems arise, from lack of funds to lack of fans to poor
management and the team is gone, with not many people even noticing or caring. However, author John Rust did care enough to
write a book of essays about teams and leagues that did not last for long.
What is most impressive about the
book is that Rust covers five different sports over a long time frame and was
able to find information about some of the more obscure teams and leagues. How many fans realize that there have been
professional volleyball leagues? Or that
lacrosse has tried to start several leagues?
Well, Rust talks about these sports and some of the least known teams in
those short start-ups. These are mixed in with writings about teams in some of
the more well-known leagues that had short lives. Leagues in this category include the World
Football League, the United States Football League, the World Hockey
Association and the American Basketball Association. The latter name was used multiple times for
basketball leagues and Rust covers all of them.
The teams also cover a wide range of
geography and unusual names, such as the Minnesota Fighting Pike, This team’s name, even though it lasted only
one season in 1996, is still considered to one of the top ten names in the
history of Arena Football. Interesting trivia like this make the book
entertaining – at least more so on top of the stories of why the various teams
failed. As mentioned, it usually was due
to poor management, a lack of fans or a lack of money. That isn’t always the case as Rust also
includes some incidents of criminal behavior and the sad story of a college
basketball team that was popular on campus and played very well but was not
well-received by the town because of the presence of black players so they ceased
operations after only two years.
Because this is a collection of stories
about these teams, the book can be read in as short or long a session as a
reader wished. The usual characteristic
of a book structured like this also is true – namely, that not every story will
be a terrific one for every reader. Also,
as Rust notes in the epilogue, he doesn’t write about all the failed teams and
leagues because there are just so many.
So he had to use his judgement while doing his research on which ones to
include. Overall, this is a very good book for readers who, like me, are fascinated
with stories about teams that had a very short life in the world of professional
sports.
I wish to thank Mr. Rust for
providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Paperback
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