Normally, I'll only post one review per day, but during this holiday weekend, I had the chance to not only take part in my usual weekend games (basketball and golf) and watch some baseball, but I also finished two books. This one is the second of the two, and it is a good look at college football from the eyes of a Michigan fan. Here is my review of "The Hot Seat."
Title/Author: “The Hot Seat: A Year of Outrage, Pride and Occasional Games of College Football” by Ben Mathis-Lilley
Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review: To a
person who is from another nation, American college football must be a very
different sport. There are many
different aspects that a visitor may not understand, such as the tailgating,
the fever that so many have for a particular school, the recruiting and the concept
of a “student-athlete” representing their school. These may make one, even
college football fans, wonder why so many people are so enthralled with the
sport. Slate writer Ben Mathis-Lilley
makes an attempt to describe this game that is all-consuming for many fans.
He accomplishes the goal by writing about different
viewpoints on why people would be so invested in the sport while he himself
interrupts this analysis by writing about his own rooting interest, the
University of Michigan Wolverines and their head coach Jim Harbaugh. The title of the book, and the cover, would
make one think that it is only about Michigan and the calls for Harbaugh’s ouster,
hence he was on the “hot seat.” This came after the 2020 college season in
which Michigan went “only” 9-3, which for that fan base is unacceptable. Add in the fact that as the 2021 season
started, a Harbaugh-coached Wolverines team had yet to defeat its arch rival,
Ohio State, and you have some very upset Michigan fans and alumni.
Going beyond just the football, Mathis-Lilley looks for
connections between college football fans and other disciplines to learn more
about their behavior. He interviews several
people in those disciplines and analyzes their connections in topics like politics
(he does show his political leanings but is fair to all political shades), psychology
and even visiting other colleges to see what their coaches and fan bases
do. The two schools he writes most about
aside from Michigan are Louisiana State University and Florida Atlantic
University. The contrasts between the two are stark, and as one might expect,
Michigan would be closer to the LSU experience because both schools have a history
of success in the sport, but they are still very different. Their coach, Ed Orgeron, also had his share
of controversy and time in the “hot seat” but again, a very different
circumstance.
Of course, the book follows Michigan’s mostly successful
2021 campaign, which included that long-sought win over Ohio State for Harbaugh,
a Big Ten championship and playing in the College Football Playoff for the first
time in school history. Mathis-Lilley
writes more about his observations of fans, himself and others online, more
than the games, but the reader will still get a good amount of information on
the team and season. It is just not a
pure recap of the season, as that is not what the book is about.
College football fans, no matter their region or their favorite
team, will enjoy this unique look at the game, the fans, and the issues surrounding
the sport now. It is at times, funny,
serious, reflective and even controversial, which makes it have a little bit of
spice for everyone. It may be a little hard to follow and will take careful
reading, but if a reader does that, they will walk away with a better understanding
of how the sport reflects its fans and vice versa.
I wish to thank Public Affairs for providing a copy of the
book in exchange for an honest review.
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