Product Description

ESPN thinks its viewers are stupid. The Olympics claw at your inner sap. Barbaro, after all, was just a horse. So says Will Leitch, founding editor of Deadspin.com, whose God Save the Fan is your new manifesto.

Arch and unrepentant, Leitch is the mouthpiece for all the frustrated fans who just want their games back from big money, bloated egos, and blathering sportscasters. Always a fan first and a journalist second, Leitch considers the perfection of fantasy leagues, the meaninglessness of the steroids debate, and the aching permanence of loyalty to just one team. He'll tell you why, long before that dogfighting mess, Michael Vick's undercover STD clinic name was Ron Mexico; why athletes persist in publicly praising God; and what the beer companies really think about you. Share Leitch's dread as he spends twenty—four hours watching ESPN. Sit and have a beer with John Rocker and his surprising girlfriend. Be inspired by Rick Ankiel's phoenixlike rise, and fall.

With a voice strengthened by the success of Deadspin and its chorus of commenters, Leitch has written all—new material for God Save the Fan. If you or a fan you love is suffering from the sense of listless dissatisfaction brought on by the leagues and networks, this is your restorative tonic. Packed with lists, glossaries, confessions, and rages, Leitch's manifesto sings a rallying cry for fan empowerment. The games, after all, belong to us.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44142 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-01
• Released on: 2008-01-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In his third book, Leitch, the founding editor of the sports blog Deadspin.com, offers a collection of passionate, original essays about the good (fantasy football; the saga of the once promising pitcher Rick Ankiel) and the bad (ESPN, which he compares to the Imperial Forces from Star Wars; sports reporters' misguided attempts to become patriotic after 9/11) of sports, and how fans can navigate through the mess to enjoy the games and themselves. If we all realized that, hey, we don't need to listen to these idiots on television screaming at us... they'd be out of a job, Leitch writes in the introduction. The book sometimes strays off course from its stated purpose—memories of Leitch's popular blog subjects (Barbaro, Ohio TV reporter Carl Monday) and a host of cheeky sports glossaries are unnecessary and only disrupt the book's fervor. However, Leitch (who has also written for Playboy and New York) nicely balances potent humor with sharp and sometimes vicious insight without lapsing into clichés. He manages to be an astute sports critic while maintaining his enthusiasm as a fan, making his book an entertaining and enlightening read for anyone who roots for the home team a little too hard. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Jeff MacGregor, Sports Illustrated special contributor and author of Sunday Money
"If the truth is to be found in humor - and it is - then let Will Leitch lead our people’s revolution. He’s everything that’s right and funny and true in American sports."

Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of The Bad Guys Won!
"The funniest sports book I have ever read. Yeah, as a member of the mainstream media I should probably despise Will Leitch. But God Saves the Fan is an uproarious, painful, pointed, skittish manifesto on all that’s warped in the world of Lucious Pusey."

Customer Reviews

Funny but snarky
This blogger will never be confused with the immortals of sports writing such as Jim Murray, Tex Maul or Ray Blount. He does exhibit the occasionally nicely turned phrase, that is when he's not to busy demonstrating the all knowingness that only a twenty-something can muster.

Hits the Spot, Leaves Wanting More
Being a loyal Deadspin reader for a couple years now, I was excited to get a chance to sit down with Will Leitch's book God Save the Fan and delve through his insights into what is going wrong with sports today. Leitch is one of the new breed of writers who has started striking back against companies like ESPN that have turned parts of sports into a mindless cesspool of nonsense.

The book is broken down into sections that target the athletes, fans, owners and media in essay like chapters. The essays that were the best were the ones that really took aim at the media, and the ridiculous spectacle that they've turned sports into. The most biting commentary is saved for ESPN as he tears apart their operation giving a voice to the diehard sports fan who is so sick of the antics from the World Wide Leader. He even has sharp criticism for some of the worst owners in sports and what they've done to their fans over the years.

But for the power of those essays, there is a lot of needless fluff thrown in. Essays about finding a local bar to watch Cardinal games in New York at, as well as a long piece on his supporting of Rick Ankiel. While these might be interesting blog posts, they contrast with his other essays that take a more biting approach to the topic. These parts aren't necessarily bad, it's as a reader you want more written about the negative aspects of sports that Leitch targets so well. I was more fascinated in learning the tactics of ESPN and some dreadful owners than a narrative on his fandom.

Overall though, it's a good read for any sports fan tired of what sports has turned into. It's worth noting though that there are a lot of posts from Deadspin reproduced in the book, which means you aren't getting a ton of new content. As an avid Deadspin reader, it felt more like a trip down memory lane instead of something new. For non-Deadspin fans, it's a book you'll thoroughly enjoy and laugh out loud to.

I look forward to Leitch's future books and hope they are less about his history on the web and more on his thoughts of what the sports world has become (where he excels at explaining).

A Primer on a Notorious Blogger
Will Leitch recently gained national fame through an appearance on (Bob) Costas Now and a failed debate on sports blogging with the boorish Buzz Bissinger.

And for fans who want a big helping of what Leitch delivers in the cyber-universe, this is a great venue. But where reading Leitch online - and in smaller doses - can be compelling, sidesplitting, or just plain fun, the style fails to translate well in book form.

But consider it a primer from a notorious blogger, where the journey may ultimately end up on his home turf.