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Sign up todayRethinking Fandom
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Learn moreA fundamental reevaluation of how to be a sports fan by an acclaimed baseball writer
Sports fandom isn’t what it used to be. Owners and executives increasingly count on the blind loyalty of their fans and too often act against the team’s best interest. Sports fans are left deliberating not only mismanagement but also political, health, and ethical issues.
In Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports Industrial Complex at Its Own Game, sportswriter and lifelong sports fan Craig Calcaterra outlines endemic problems with what he calls the sports-industrial complex, such as intentionally tanking a season to get a high draft pick, scamming local governments to build cushy new stadiums, actively subverting the players, as well as bad stadium deals, racism, concussions, and more.
But he doesn’t give up on professional sports. In the second half of the book, he proposes strategies to reclaim joy in fandom: rooting for players instead of teams, being a fair-weather fan, becoming an activist, and other clever solutions.
With his characteristic wit and piercing commentary, Calcaterra argues that fans have more power than they realize to change how their teams behave.
Craig Calcaterra is the writer and editor of the daily baseball, news, and culture newsletter Cup of Coffee. Previously, he was the lead national baseball writer for NBC Sports, where he launched and edited the baseball blog HardballTalk. He lives in New Albany, Ohio.
Gary Bennett is a SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator. He was born and raised in California and then in Bozeman, Montana, and is the oldest of four children. He now calls the greater Seattle area his home, and he's a huge fan of the Seattle Seahawks. Gary has always been passionate about not just telling a story, but telling it well. From reading bedtime stories with his children to performing in front of the microphone, bringing a story to life is one of his greatest joys. Gary has pursued his career in audiobook narration with zeal, continuing to not only invest in personal coaching from some of the best in the industry, but also investing in some of the best equipment for his professional home-based studio. There are few things he enjoys more than stepping into his StudioBricks home studio and recording his favorite books. Gary is also a licensed electrical engineer and a private pilot. He loves watching and participating in sports and listening to and playing music, and is an avid outdoor enthusiast.
Reviews
“Modern fandom is rubbish, and Calcaterra explains why, but in so doing, also shows us the way out of our desensitized, corporate, laundry-hugging ways.”
“Bringing his trademark blend of clear thinking, righteous indignation, and ironic humor, he lays out the case that modern sports fans are captured in a cycle of toxic exploitation…Calcaterra provides positive solutions to help us form a healthier and more thoughtful relationship with the sports we love. A vital book for any sports fan in the twenty-first century.”
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