Monthly Archives: September 2015
What We Mean When We Say Earned: On ‘Winesburg, Ohio,’ Fact-Based Beatings, and the Fight Against Toxic Masculinity
Posted on September 16, 2015 6 Comments
By Dan Bjork I thought I found my hook for Winesburg, Ohio early on, in the “Mother” chapter, soon after we spent the previous pages with Whig Biddlebaum, formerly the Pennsylvania school teacher Adolph Myers, falsely accused of being improper with his students, now in hiding in the town of his aunt. The trauma of his former life […]
Needs More Tentacles: On ‘Winesburg, Ohio,’ Unique Millennial Snowflakes, and Michael Crabtree
Posted on September 15, 2015 4 Comments
By Ryan Henry Joe 1. I took a course called “The Writer as Teacher” while enrolled in Columbia University’s writing program. (Though at the time, I missed its underlying message: Thanks for the $50,000 tuition, here’s your job prospect.) I thought about that class as I read Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio — a book that […]
Book 2: Kimiko Hahn’s ‘Brain Fever’
Posted on September 14, 2015 Leave a Comment
This week, Football Book Club will be reading Brain Fever by Kimiko Hahn and talking about Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio — our selection from last week. So be sure to crack open your copy of Brain Fever and check in with FBC for all our thoughts on Winesburg, Ohio and life without the NFL. Brain Fever is […]
Spending My Time: On Collective Identity, Family, and ‘Against Football’
Posted on September 12, 2015 1 Comment
By Yona Harvey When I was invited to participate in this book club, I wasn’t convinced I’d have much to contribute. I didn’t exactly grow up watching sports. I grew up watching the people I loved watch sports. At my grandparents’ house, for instance, I floated in and out of the family room while my […]
No Way to Escape Family Night: On ‘Against Football’ and the Green Bay Packers
Posted on September 11, 2015 Leave a Comment
By Rob Casper Adam, Dan, and Ryan — reading your posts makes me realize, first and foremost, that I am not much of a Packers fan. Or rather, I don’t have much of a problem watching the team I grew up worshipping…unless they start to win. The losses are easy, but when the wins start […]
The Truth Is Terrible: On ‘Against Football’ and the Bears’ Pre-Season
Posted on September 9, 2015 Leave a Comment
By Adam Boretz Were I making a list of things I’d have absolutely no problem missing out on — a head wound, the music of Slipknot, gonorrhea, a close personal friendship with Anthony Weiner — Bears’ pre-season football would land pretty close to the top. Let’s be honest: Pre-season football is all but meaningless, features a sad array of […]
Book One: Sherwood Anderson’s ‘Winesburg, Ohio’
Posted on September 9, 2015 Leave a Comment
As the NFL season begins in earnest and the games actually matter — well for some teams, that is — FBC will be reading Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. Published in 1919, this story story cycle — which launched Anderson’s career and follows the life of protagonist George Willard in the titular small town — is ranked #24 on […]
Building Something: On Childhood Memories, ‘Against Football,’ the New York Jets, and My Future Kids
Posted on September 7, 2015 3 Comments
By Dan Bjork When I signed up for this, I didn’t think my chances of making it were all that good. I thought, best case scenario: I’d schedule my Sunday workout for Jets’ kick-off and most of the time they’d be well on their way to losing by the time I finished — it’d be easy enough […]
I Fought the NFL and the NFL Won: On ‘Against Football,’ Illegal Streams, and San Francisco’s Fallen Camelot
Posted on September 5, 2015 4 Comments
By Ryan Henry Joe Three years ago, with then-San Francisco 49ers kicker David Akers landing the ball everywhere but between the uprights, I’d scurry into my bedroom and hide under a blanket whenever he trotted onto the gridiron for a high-stakes field goal attempt. An outburst of cheering — provided it was a home game […]
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