ESPN Authors Titles

<div><strong>ESPN&rsquo;s Sal Paolantonio explores just how crucial football is to understanding the American psyche</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Using some of the most prominent voices in pro sports and cultural and media criticism, <em>How Football Explains America</em> is a fascinating, first-of-its-kind journey through the making of America&#39;s most complex, intriguing, and popular game. It tackles varying American themes&mdash;from Manifest Destiny to &ldquo;fourth and one&rdquo;&mdash;as it answers the age-old question Why does America love football so much? An unabashedly celebratory explanation of America&rsquo;s love affair with the game and the men who make it possible, this work sheds light on how the pioneers and cowboys helped create a game that resembled their march across the continent. It explores why rugby and soccer don&rsquo;t excite the American male like football does and how the game&rsquo;s rules are continually changing to enhance the dramatic action and create a better narrative. It also investigates the eternal appeal of the heroic quarterback position, the sport&rsquo;s rich military lineage, and how the burgeoning medium of television identified and exploited the NFL&rsquo;s great characters. It is a must read for anyone interested in more fully understanding not only the game but also the nation in which it thrives. Updated throughout and with a new introduction, this edition brings <em>How Football Explains America</em> to paperback for the first time.</div>

Every baseball fan knows that Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols are among the best to ever play the game. But how do their high-priced contracts impact their teams’ abilities to compete for a World Series title? Which managers and executives are best at getting the most out of their roster, year-in and year-out? And how does sabremetrics play into all of this? In this book, veteran ESPN columnist Jayson Stark explores these questions and many more. Supplemented with insightful commentary from countless baseball insiders, it gives baseball fans a rare, fascinating glimpse into the why behind the game’s winners and losers.

<DIV>Drawing together insights from nearly 100 former players, coaches, and Hokie fans, this is the ultimate compendium of everything that is special about Virginia Tech's football team. Highlights include the most important moments in Virginia Tech's football history, beloved traditions and memories from Blacksburg, coaching legends, and the team's greatest players from past and present.</DIV>

While fans continue to debate the relative merits of their favorite drivers, ESPN.com's premier motor sports writer Terry Blount now brings some needed clarity and perspective to America's biggest spectator sport, rating drivers, teams, cars, and tracks, and while bluntly letting readers know which are overrated and which are underrated in a new book that's bound to further the debate and stir up more controversy. Did the reputation match the results? Was the performance better than the perception? and how much of a factor was the car? are all questions asked and discussed in this investigation. Along with rating drivers, The Blount Report also rates a vast array of the NASCAR world from speedways to races and rules to records.

Taking a decade-by-decade approach to the Florida State University football tradition, this collection brings together over 40 stories from the most outstanding voices of the program. The spirit of Seminoles football is not captured by just one phrase, one season, or one particular game; instead, the student-athletes and coaches who made the magic happen over the decades blend their experiences to capture the true essence of their beloved school. FSU fans will relish the intimate stories told by the figures they have come to cherish.

Examining the legends, the myths, and the overhyped moments of America’s most popular game, Sal Paolantonio goes behind the highlights, the drama, and the numbers to set some things straight—once and for all—about the game played on Sundays. The Paolantonio Report includes chapters analyzing the most underrated and overrated quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, defensive backs, defensive linemen, offensive linemen, linebackers and specialists. For example: The Catch—Joe Montana to Dwight Clark—overrated. Not even in the top ten moments in NFL history. And Chuck Bednarik, the Eagles linebacker who knocked out Frank Gifford? He wasn't that fearsome, and was considered slow and not a very good tackler. Also look for chapters on the most underrated and overrated coaches, teams, offensive and defensive units, Hall of Famers, Super Bowls, and some of the most underrated and overrated moments in the sport's storied history—with plenty of fun sidebars peppered throughout the book. Using an analytical approach that considers decades of stats, trends, and historical data, The Paolantonio Report is certain to settle many arguments—and probably just as certain to start many more.

Every baseball fan knows New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter is a great all-around player. But how about Alex Rodriguez, Jeter's teammate, former American League MVP, and probable future Hall of Famer? Many would argue he's even better than Jeter. And what about Jeter's seemingly unassailable status as one of the greatest Yankees of all time? Such discussions highlight one of the great joys of being a baseball fan: arguing over who's really great and who falls just short, who doesn't get the respect he deserves and who gets too much. In other words, who's overrated and who's underrated.

Taking a decade-by-decade approach to the Virginia Tech football tradition, this collection brings together over 40 stories from the most outstanding voices of the program. The spirit of Hokie football is not captured by just one phrase, one season, or one particular game; instead, the student-athletes and coaches who made the magic happen over six decades blend their experiences to capture the true essence of their beloved school. Hokies fans will relish the intimate stories told by the figures they have come to cherish.