An Excerpt

With the Final Four upon us I decided to share a few paragraphs from Chapter Four. Hope you enjoy.

"Under a perfect blue sky, crowds of revelers jam Laclede's Landing, St. Louis's cobblestoned version of the French Quarter. There is no want for local color—among the jugglers, street performers on stilts, and music blaring from the DJ booth situated at the main intersection flow streams of Carolina Blue, Louisville red, Michigan State green, and Illinois orange—especially Illinois orange. The Mississippi sluices by in the background but the aura of frivolity in the early spring air floats on a different liquid: beer. This is, after all, the home of Anheuser-Busch.

As I walk among these people, I study their faces. I'm looking for someone in particular. Someone of the right age and type who seems approachable. I'm still on a high from Daytona. I had such a good time with my hosts that I'm now testing a theory that what makes these iconic events stand apart is not just the magnitude of the game, but the company you keep during it.

Ideally, Villanova would have made the Final Four, and I could have hooked up with my old college buddies and finally had the experience we missed 20 years ago. It almost worked out, as Nova made it to the Sweet 16 without their best player before losing by one point to the eventual champions. With Nova out of the mix, so was my old gang. The next best option was to hook up with students from one of the schools that did make it: North Carolina, Michigan State, Louisville and Illinois. I would, in essence, embed myself among them. These people would be my troops. I would share in their joy, call them by their nicknames, high-five them after dunks, hit on their girlfriends..."

An Actual Review

Sorry for the lapse, but it was a crushing week getting out our Masters preview issue. Here's the first real review of the book, from the 3/19 issue of Publisher's Weekly.

All true obsessives, whatever their object of adoration, love making lists. It's a way of trying to organize (or at least make sense of) the sprawling, life-controlling nature of their obsession. Sports Illustrated editor Gorant, being the kind of self-described "idiot" who has spent far too much of his life watching televised sports (any kind, "the more obscure, in some ways, the better") took his particular list and made it into a book. If Gorant's genial account of attending the 10 ultimate sporting events seems at times like little more than an excuse to get out of the office and make random alcohol-based friendships with assorted strangers, so much the better. As an exercise in vicarious frivolous fandom, Gorant's year-plus-long odyssey—he starts at the Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl in February 2005 and ends with Fenway Park's Opening Day on April 11, 2006—is serenely satisfying reading in the manner of a lengthy magazine article. Gorant's selection trends toward the obvious (a Packers game at Lambeau, the Masters, the Daytona 500) and the decision to include only one non-American event (Wimbledon) comes off as a little lazy. All that to the side, Gorant brings a fresh and appreciative eye to each event, whether it's the days spent lazing around an RV at the Daytona 500 with a self-described "family" of NASCAR fans or discovering how a relaxed afternoon game at Wrigley "could be all the romance a man needs."

Not exactly back flips, but "serenely satisfying" and "a fresh and appreciative eye" work for me.

Net Working It

You may have noticed the nifty new Blog Roll (that's net speak for list of other blogs) in the right margin. As the clever headline indicates, they're all related to the the 10 Things and after reading a lot of bad writing I can also tell you they're some of the best out there on their chosen subject. Some of them, like Goat Riders of the Apocalypse, are worth checking out just because the name is so damn funny. And if you don't know why it's funny check out the Wrigley site, which is entirely devoted to the Cubs Curse. Must say I'm not a big Curt Schilling fan, but his blog is one of the best by a pro athlete I've ever read. Of course, you'll notice I also threw some Nova hoops in there for my own enjoyment. Hopefully yours too. Here's the important part: If a bunch of you click onto these sites from my site, those guys will take notice (with any luck) and link back to me. Then their readers will start to read my blog too. Now, we're really spreading the word. That's what we call "viral" marketing when we're trying to sound smart at cocktail parties. Good luck, click with abandon, and...let's be careful out there.

My Ship's Come In

Spoke to the publisher on Friday and they told me that although the official publication date is June 4, the ship date for the book is May 2. That's when the big trucks will back up to the printer and start hauling Fanatic off to book stores. So, now you know when to start sleeping out at the local Barnes & Noble.

On another note, one of the Top 10 events was the Final Four, and now that Selection Sunday has passed and March Madness is officially underway, it's time to talk a little college hoops. Villanova plays Friday night at 9:30 against Kentucky, so set your Tivo and stock up on hot wings. I know one thing, the Wildcats will win. How many times will that joke be made this week? (Weber St., also the Wildcats, is in the same bracket)

Bit of a rebuilding year for Nova, so it's great that they made The Big Dance. Seemed like they deserved better than a 9 seed, but the only thing to do about that is go and win some games. Plus, it gives all the bloggers and internet chat rooms something to whine about. To hear some of that whining, or read more about the Cats check out letsgonova or villanova viewpoint.

Me on Me, Part Deux

In your introduction, you explain that you’ve been a sports fan since around five years of age. What initially drew you to sports—was it a family pastime or something else?
I can remember from a very young age sitting on the couch watching the NY Giants with my dad, and that was something of a family event. My sister and brother also gathered for the games and we often fought for the spot next to our dad. And he got into the games. He shouted at the TV and stood and clapped and waved his hands in disgust, so all that made quite an impression. Still, other than the Giants and the occasional golf tournament, my dad didn’t really watch sports or follow them very closely. I think those experiences prepared the ground, so to speak, and when I went to school the whole thing just blossomed. Socially, culturally and instinctively, it seems, the boys in my class were drawn to sports. They were a way to express ourselves and expend our energy and figure out where we fit among our peers, and that’s not only in terms of playing them but following them. There was a cultural cache to knowing the Yankees back-up left fielder or collecting the entire series of baseball cards for a given year. I remember getting the sign-up sheet for Little League in first grade, and just feeling like there was no way I wasn’t going to play. And I don’t want to understate this, but even at young age there was a feeling that sports were a way to get girls to like you. The irony is that just such thinking starts you down the road to becoming a sports meathead, which women do not find attractive. At all.

How did you ultimately finalize your list of 10 must-attend sports events?
I had a list of maybe 17 or 18 events that I had compiled over time. Some events eliminated themselves—the timing wasn’t right for the Olympics, the World Cup or the Americas Cup—so that got it down to 14 or so. From there I just really thought about which ones I would most like to go to. It’s as simple as that. There are still a number of events I’d like to see, and some I have a deep curiosity about but I don’t know enough about them to say they’re “must-see” events (like various European soccer rivalries and few other international events), but I have no regrets. That’s not entirely true. For a brief period in college I had what can only be described as a mullet, for which I’m deeply regretful.

Can you tell us the difference between a sports viewer and a fanatic?
Literally, fanaticism connotes devotion beyond reason. If you’re a fan, you’re a little crazy, and at least for the purposes of this book that plays out in two ways. First, in that sense of being so devoted to a team that you can actually feel physically ill after they lose, and second, in a willingness to go to extreme lengths to watch a sports event, whether that’s traveling or skipping some family occasion or whatever. In either case, you’ve clearly lost touch with the rational world. Now that I think of it, that’s part of the appeal. It’s like a Calgon moment for guys.

Prior to this endeavor, you had scaled back your sports intake, and you state that part of this journey was to find out why so many fans are addicted to sports, and why your relationship had changed from “passionate participant to distant viewer.” Did you find the answers you were looking for?
I don’t know if this answers the question, but I found that sports are a totally legit way to engage with the world. I think you need to keep perspective, and be well rounded, but there’s nothing wrong with being devoted to sports, which is what I had lost sight of. There’s something invigorating and enriching about reaching that level of emotional and intellectual involvement where you can be carried to great highs or terrible lows by watching an event or following a team that, in retrospect, I realize, my life would be diminished without.

What’s the 11th event on your list?
There are a few 11ths, but if I had to pick one it would be the final rounds of the World Cup. There’s just so much going on there with the history, the rivalries, the nationalism, and the sort of operatic drama on the pitch, with the faked injuries and the prima donnas. It seems like something that would be both fun and compelling to get close to. And when else will I have a chance to pillage and riot?

In addition to Fanatic, you’ve written two golf books. Do you have another sports-related book in the works?
I’m researching two or three potential ideas right now, trying to figure out which is the most viable and which I’d most like to work on. I hope to get started on something this summer.

Favorite sportswriter or book—fiction or nonfiction about sports?
There are a bunch of fantastic writers at Sports Illustrated—Tom Verducci, Scott Price, Jon Wertheim, John Garrity—although naming names is a bit like giving an acceptance speech at the Oscars: I’m certain to leave someone out. Oh well. Otherwise, I’ve always liked Charlie Pierce at the Boston Globe, Chris Jones at Esquire, Harvey Araton at the New York Times, and Steve Friedman. As far as books, I can’t say because I don’t really read sports books. I think one of my assets when it comes to writing about sports is that I haven’t been a sportswriter, which allows me to come at the subject from a different place. I don’t think I can name 10 sports books I’ve read (although I’ve certainly read more than that). In fact, the only ones that come to mind are A Fan’s Notes by Fred Exley, which is more about mental illness and self-identity than sports, and Seabiscuit, which I recently read because I was interested in the architecture of how she (Laura Hillenbrand) put it together. Let me just say, what she did, in terms of research, is sort of amazing. Hat’s off.


Fanatic will be great Father’s Day gift. What do you hope to unwrap on Father’s Day?
Since I’ll be in the office on Father’s Day working on our coverage of the U.S. Open, I’d like to unwrap a few elves that could go in and do my job for me. Short of that I’d love a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Me on Me, Part 1

Here is part one of my exclusive interview with me. If you listen closely while reading, you can hear the sound of one hand clapping.

Q: Jim, great to see you thanks for coming out today.
A: No problem. Always a pleasure.

Q: So, is that you on the cover?
A: Um, no.


Q: I see you work at Sports Illustrated, do you get to contribute to the Swimsuit Issue?
A: No. In fact, this year they distributed copies to the staff on a day when most of us were out of the office and someone helped himself/herself to most of them, so I haven’t even seen this year’s issue, except when I pass a newsstand.

Q: Okay, which event was your favorite?
A: Have to say the Kentucky Derby. It’s got everything. History, tradition, it’s a little bit wild yet sophisticated. You’re all dressed up, rubbing elbows with celebs and sipping drinks one minute, then standing on your chair screaming at the top of your lungs the next. And there’s a palpable excitement, an audible buzz, that lasts the entire day and permeates the entire track. There’s something about it being outdoors too—the blue of the sky and the smell of the grass. It’s a full sensory experience. I suppose the gambling doesn’t hurt either.

Q: How did you pick the events?
A: It’s a mix. Some of them are ironclad icons of sport, like the Super Bowl and some of them are more personal, events that for whatever reason I’ve just always wanted to go to. Also, some of those quirkier events-like a trip to Lambeau-are things I think everyone should go to even if they don’t realize it, and part of what the book attempts to do is show why that’s the case.


Q: Which event was the biggest surprise to you?
A: The Daytona 500. I spent three days living in an RV in the infield with some people I met over the Internet. So going into it, I had never been to a NASCAR event, I didn’t know the people I’d be living with and generally had no idea what to expect. But the folks I stayed with were great and the entire stay was really a blast. And the place itself was surprising. I had no idea how big the track is—it’s so big that there’s a lake on the infield and they put on waterskiing shows a few times a day.

Q: Any events you put on the list that you wish you left off?
A: No. No regrets. I enjoyed every stop along the way, although an interesting phenomenon occurs after a while. About five events into it, everything takes on a certain sameness, but at the same time, that sameness also makes the individualities of each experience stand out even more.

Q: So are you done now?
A: Yes and no. Having gone through this makes me feel that there are a number of events I don’t need to go to anymore, unless there was some special circumstance. At the same time, it makes me want to go to others over and over again, and it whets my appetite for some of the other events that I considered but that didn’t make the list.


Q: Such as?
A: The Olympics. World Cup soccer. The Bassmaster Classic—which is supposed to be really wild. Some of the great college rivalries I passed on.

Q: What’s the craziest thing you saw?
A: Well, there was quite a bit. From some of the partying at the Michigan-Ohio State game to the tailgates at Lambeau and the scene at the Final Four, but overall the center of insanity was definitely the Super Bowl. The scale of it is just overwhelming and the characters are incredible. I spent some time with one guy who was standing on a corner with 20 $100 bills fanned out in his hand trying to buy tickets. He claimed to be a former scalper who’d been to every Super Bowl since 1973 and who’d also snuck into dozens of major events and had even partied backstage with the Rolling Stones after talking his way into one of their concerts. He said if I let him, he could sneak into the Super Bowl with me. He’d just carry a box and walk behind me and we’d breeze right through. I’ve never been able to resist a plot with all the complexity of a Scooby Doo episode so I agreed to meet with him outside the media entrance before the game. I’d bring my media credential, he’d bring the box. Little surprise, he failed to show. He did call me on my cell about an hour before kickoff. I was already in the stadium and he wanted me to come down and meet him. I hung up on him. The guy was certifiable, but he told a lot of great stories.

Get off your A and send me some Qs

When you’re getting ready to publish a book one of the things the publisher asks you to do (besides start a blog) is a self Q&A. In other words, interview yourself with commonly asked or anticipated questions about the book, not only to give you practice answering them, but so they can send the Q&A out to various media outlets in the hope that it will inspire them to interview you. I've already begun writing up this scintilating document, but I was having trouble coming up with questions for myself. Any suggestions? Anything you're dying to know? WWMLA? (That's What Would Matt Lauer Ask?)

Send 'em in and as soon as I can fabricate some answers I'll post the whole thing, because that's what you do when you have a blog, you throw every mundane thing you can think of up on the Internet in the desperate hope that someone out there gives a crap. Enjoy!