On Being Brown: What It Means to Be a Cleveland Browns Fan [Paperback]

Scott Huler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1999

What is this madness all about? Ask anyone who has experienced it: being a Cleveland Browns fan is just different. Scott Huler looks at this 50-year love affair between town and team in 33 essays recounting his personal saga of "becoming Brown." Searching out those special elements of shared experience that define what being a Browns fan has meant for us all, he also holds conversations with the true legends of Cleveland Browns history--Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Lou "The Toe" Groza, Brian Sipe, Ozzie Newsome, and others--in which they share their own thoughts about just what made this relationship between town and team so special. This odyssey for Browns fans takes them back to some wonderful places. It revives some truly awful moments. And it looks to the future with great hope. Those who are truly Brown will enjoy the ride.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A terrific read" -- WEWSÊTV5ÊSports

"Consistently poignant and occasionally profound" -- Scene

"The finest book ever written about the Browns" -- WEREÊAM

"Those who . . . want to renew the bittersweet relationship between team and fan will enjoy this book" -- TheÊPlainÊDealer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Scott Huler is a professional writer who grew up in Cleveland loving the Browns. He currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and he still loves the Browns. He has been a staff writer for the Raleigh News and Observer and the Philadelphia Daily News and has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, among other national newspapers and magazines.

Huler has done national commentaries and stories for National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and "Marketplace." He has also written two books: "From Worst to First": with Gordon Bethune, CEO of Continental Airlines (John Wiley & Sons, 1998); and "A Little Bit Sideways: One Week Inside a NASCAR Winston Cup Team" (MBI Publishing Co., 1999).

Huler graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Washington University in St. Louis and has several dart trophies to his name. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 183 pages
• Publisher: Gray & Co (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886228310
• ISBN-13: 978-1886228313
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #555,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As a writer for newspapers, magazines, and radio programs Scott Huler has addressed everything from the death penalty to bikini waxing. His books range equally widely -- from "On Being Brown," about the relationship between his hometown NFL Cleveland Browns and their rabid fans to "No-Man's Lands," about a journey retracing the path of Homer's Odysseus. Born in Cleveland in 1959, Huler has lived all over the country and in England. His work has appeared in such newspapers as the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and International Herald Tribune and in magazines like Backpacker and Fortune. His radio work has been heard nationally on such shows as "All Things Considered," "Marketplace," and "Splendid Table" and internationally on the Voice of America's "VOA News Now." He lives in Raleigh, N.C., with his wife, the writer June Spence, and their two boys.

You can learn more about him by visiting his website at http://www.scotthuler.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Football explained, September 12, 2000

By 

Joe Miller (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Being Brown: What It Means to Be a Cleveland Browns Fan (Paperback)

Despite being continually disillusioned by the sport - by the drugs, the criminal element, the absurd salaries - pro football continues to hold a mysterious allure. After reading "On Being Brown," I think I now understand what that allure is. Huler does a wonderful job of explaining what it is about football that keeps our attention long after we should grow tired of it. He captures the special thrill of walking into an arena for the first time as a child, the sense of community, the sense of commitment and loyalty we develop - even the smells of an NFL game - and makes us realize why football remains special. This isn't a book aboaut the Cleveland Browns, it's a book about football that any true fan would enjoy.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BETTER THAN KEILBASA AT A TAILGATE PARTY, February 2, 2000

By 

Rob Wolf - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Being Brown: What It Means to Be a Cleveland Browns Fan (Paperback)

This book rocked my world. As one of many displaced Clevelanders who still adores his Browns and Tribe, I can totally relate to the author's words. Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, Bernie...they're all here in great detail. You can almost hear Nev Chandler's voice.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A reader in Berkeley, August 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: On Being Brown: What It Means to Be a Cleveland Browns Fan (Paperback)

I am not a Browns fan but learned a lot about a special time for a boy, his dad and their team. This is a moving book about a kid being introduced to sports and his memories of it as an adult.