Title/Author:
“Diehards” by Chip
Scarinzi
Tags:
Baseball, Athletics,
fans, psychology
Publish date:
September 1, 2015
Length:
222 pages
Rating:
3 1/2 of 5 stars (good)
Review:
Sports fans are what make the business of sports successful. Their
willingness to spend their time, money and emotions in order to support their
favorite athletes or teams is a trait that some ask if it is worth the
effort. This book by Chip Scarinzi
explores that question by interspersing personal stories of his fandom with
interviews and viewpoints of experts who try to address why some people invest
so much into a hobby that is usually successful only half the time.
Scarinzi, a Philadelphia resident who is a fan of the Oakland Athletics,
explains his love for the Athletics and what is does to his rational thinking,
his relationship with his wife and also throws in stories of both agony and
ecstasy. These are the best parts of the
book as any sports fan can see himself or herself in these stories – one just
has to substitute his or her favorite team.
The people interviewed in the book add to the stories by lending their
expertise in explaining the fan’s mindset, relationship with the team as well
as other people and why these fans love the games and the teams. While the knowledge shared was interesting, I
found reading these portions not as easy as Scarinzi’s stories. This was because I am one of those diehards
and like others, I believe in just enjoying the game and investing in the games
and the team. Personally, I almost don’t
want to know why – it seemed to take away a little of the joy of being one of
the diehards.
Despite these feelings
about these parts, I do believe these are essential parts to read if one wants
to learn the psychology behind these fans.
If that is the goal of the reader, then this is the perfect book for
that goal. If one just wants to read
entertaining and humorous stories about fellow fans, then this book will fill
that bill as well.
I wish to thank Mr.
Scarinzi and Rowe Publishing for providing a copy of the book in exchange for
an honest review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (PDF)
Buying links:
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