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

by Jessica Luther, Kavitha A. Davidson Narrated by Machelle Williams

Overview

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. Essential 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.

Editorial Reviews

Austin Monthly

Never pejorative or self-righteous, the authors have thoroughly researched each topic and acknowledge the complexity of the subject matter.

Edge of Sports - Dave Zirin

This book is just so good. It stands on its own two feet as something that I think is really going to mark this time in which we live…people are going to say '2020 sports' and they're going to look at this book.

FanSided

Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back doesn't offer easy answers, it encourages introspection…[Loving Sports offers] fans who have long felt a dissonance between their principles and the reality of sports a way to live with this reality in ways that may lead to change...As [Luther and Davidson] state near the end of the book, 'Sports are worth saving and changing.' Their book shows both why and how that is the case.

New York Times

With cleverly titled chapters, Luther and Davidson immediately draw readers into thoughtful confrontations of many of the hypocrisies of sports fanhood...Luther and Davidson keenly raise issues that many fans may not have considered while cheering for their favorite teams.

Yahoo Sports Canada

A very timely read right now.

Sport in American History

[Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back] engages without hesitation the multi-layered and evermore urgent puzzle that is sports fan ethics.

New Books in Sports

Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back is a wide-ranging analysis and discussion of many of the key issues facing sports fans from two leading sports writers. [Luther and Davidson's] work will be of general interest to sports fans, but particularly useful for people teaching about sports history, sociology or politics.

Public Books

Though [Luther and Davidson] offer a persuasive case that sports, despite all their problems, are worth fighting for, they also hold out the option of fans giving them up and moving on to other things in life. An incisive and engaging read.

Business Insider

If you love sports, but are finding it harder and harder to cheer for your favorite teams because you hate rooting for the owners and organizations that run them, this is your book...This book feels particularly relevant as we watch sports in 2021 through the lens of leagues and teams putting profit over players (and fans) in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Texas Monthly

Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back goes far beyond addressing sexism in sports. It’s a wide-ranging and incisive look at systemic injustice across the industry: homophobia, domestic violence, doping, racist mascots, brain injuries, corruption, and the controversy over whether to pay student athletes.

Irish Examiner

A terrific distillation of the unease that many sports fans, if they’re being honest, feel flickering around the fringes of their consciousness.

Alma

A well-researched, engaging collection of essays on all the messiness that surrounds the world of sports.

That's What She Said - Sarah Spain

This book [is] a powerhouse for any number of us that have addressed a lot of these topics in our work, or have come across them as a fan...it's so great.

"25 Can't-Miss Books of 2020" The Undefeated

[Luther and Davidson] take on all sorts of topics that can make being a sports fan frustrating — not because you’re in love with a losing team, but more ethical, existential concerns.

"Favorite Books of 2020" The Progressive

[Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back] aided my understanding of what’s been exploding around me...In a year where athletes challenged the injustice that exists in the real world, Luther and Davidson remind us that sports can be not just a reflection of our society but a force that can help make our world a better place.

Edge of Sports Dave Zirin

"This book is just so good. It stands on its own two feet as something that I think is really going to mark this time in which we live…people are going to say '2020 sports' and they're going to look at this book."

Texas Monthly

"Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back goes far beyond addressing sexism in sports. It’s a wide-ranging and incisive look at systemic injustice across the industry: homophobia, domestic violence, doping, racist mascots, brain injuries, corruption, and the controversy over whether to pay student athletes."

That's What She Said Sarah Spain

"This book [is] a powerhouse for any number of us that have addressed a lot of these topics in our work, or have come across them as a fan...it's so great."

Library Journal

10/01/2020

For some sports fans, it can be tough at times to cheer passionately for your team or watch your favorite sport, while realizing the moral and ethical dilemmas that may be associated with them. This book by journalist Luther and sportswriter Davidson tackles that emotional dilemma. While admittedly, the authors write that they don't offer many solutions, in each chapter they deal with a different topic and dive deep into the moral and ethical conflicts. "It's about the intersections between sports and politics, sports and culture, sports and our own identities, sports and the ills of our world," they state in the introduction. Throughout, they share thoughts on watching football while knowing that it causes considerable brain trauma, the complexities of rooting for a team when a player has been accused of domestic violence, and the challenges of watching March Madness when college athletes don't receive compensation. The wide issues discussed in each chapter are impressive and will reach many sports fans; both authors have a tremendous background and it shows in this thoroughly researched publication. VERDICT This is the book that sports fans didn't know they needed. Highly recommended for any reader who has felt conflicted about being a sports fan.—Pamela Calfo, Bridgeville P.L., PA

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2020-05-29
Revealing some of the ugliest truths about professional sports.

Luther and Davidson are both well known in the world of sports journalism, and their investigative skills serve them well in this acute survey of their chosen field. (This is also a natural follow-up to Luther’s previous book, Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape.) Written as something of a guide to ethical conflicts that so often erupt in this massive, lucrative business, the overarching theme here is cognitive dissonance. With guidance from psychologists and other experts, the authors dig into the mindsets of fans and their love of the game and players and the manners in which they experience them. They also examine what happens when players and owners behave in problematic, occasionally inexcusable ways. There are some obvious targets: The authors first tackle the issue of doping, famously represented by Lance Armstrong, as well as the inherent issues around brain trauma in the NFL and the persistent problem of defending players credibly accused of domestic violence or sexual assault. But the depth and breadth of the book are impressive, as the authors discuss less-reported issues like inequality in the world of women’s sports or the struggles of players who identify with the LGBTQ community. Because the authors are journalists and not commentators, they also delve much deeper into the inner workings of the sports industry, covering in detail such topics as malevolent team owners, exemplified by former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was banished by the league for his racist comments; the odd mechanics of professional baseball’s free market; and the economic inequities surrounding college basketball’s March Madness. With illuminating interviews and commentary by insiders from the sports community, an appealing pace, and elegant writing, this is a sports book that should interest not just sports fans, but anyone interested in politics, business, or society at large.

An incisive, damning indictment of the world’s most popular pastimes.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172849213
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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