Description: "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?"--Dust jacket flap.
Brief description: Kostya Kennedy is a clinical assistant professor at NYU's Tisch Institute of Sports Management, and the co-director, Research Initiatives at NYU Sports and Society. A former assistant managing editor and senior writer at Sports Illustrated, he is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Pete Rose and 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports, both of which won the CASEY Award as best baseball book of the year. He is a regular on-air contributor to the MLB Network, and the editor of several books. He lives with his wife and children in Westchester County, N.Y.
Review Quotes: "This riveting story about a high school football team is more than just the intriguing tale of a season. It's also the crucial examination of America's passion for our true national pastime, football."--Christine Brennan, USA Today
"We've read about concussions and worse in the NFL and colleges, and now Kostya Kennedy examines the game at a high school rich in pride, tradition and battle scars. He paints a thoughtful, big-hearted picture of an old-school coach, players whose passion can overwhelm their judgment, second-guessing parents and yesterday's heroes, ranging from a violinist to a convict. 'Make your moment memorable, ' one alum tells the team. It is Kennedy, however, who does the most with that advice."--John Schulian, editor of Football: Great Writing About the National Sport
"Takes the energy of Friday Night Lights to a new stage and shows us what comes from playing the game at the center of a great moral debate."--TourÉ
"In a time of football discovery, as we amass evidence for and against the dangerous, exhilarating game, Kennedy reports from the high school sidelines. He's a reliable witness for both sides, offering a clear, thoughtful reflection that will help parents and fans to arrive at a crucial verdict: Should I let my kid play?"--Nicholas Dawidoff, author of Collison Low Crossers
"An echoing book about what football is about: hard-thought facts and heart. Kennedy has plenty of both. Reading him is essential for those who love the game."--Terry McDonell, author of The Accidental Life